What's in a Name?
by
Alexandros P. Mallias
09.27.2007
When
UN General Assembly president H.E. Dr. Srgjan Kerim, a native of the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), introduced on September 25
the president of his home country, Mr. Branko Crvenkovski, he implied that
the national interest of FYROM prevails over his duties to the UN body. He
therefore addressed Mr. Crvenkovksi as the "President of the Republic
of Macedonia ."
Some
people may think that what happened in the UN constitutes a minor or
isolated incident. Nevertheless, this is not the case-this has deeper
roots both on a regional and international level. Challenging UN
resolutions and decisions and ignoring commitments undertaken through
international agreements, as FYROM has systematically done by violating
the US-brokered Interim Accord with Greece , is a bad precedent. This is a
violation of the principle of good-neighborly relations and puts sustained
regional stability in jeopardy.
To
make it clear, Dr. Kerim's action is in full contravention of Security
Council resolutions 817 (1993) and 843 (1993), as well as the
recommendations contained therein regarding the provisional name under
which this state was unanimously admitted to the United Nations ("the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia").
Dr.
Kerim, obviously acting under instructions from his government, has
irreparably damaged his standing and credibility as president of the
General Assembly. He did not respect the resolutions of the body over
which he is presiding nor of the Security Council of the United Nations,
the organization he has been called upon to serve.
Such
a development also militates against the efforts made by the UN to
facilitate the bilateral negotiations entered into by Greece and FYROM
through the Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Mr. Matthew Nimetz, to seek
a mutually acceptable solution on the name issue. Following this action by
Mr. Kerim, Mr. Nimetz said on September 26 that what happened in the
General Assembly demonstrates why a permanent solution is needed. He is
continuing his work with the parties on this issue. Furthermore, UN
spokeswoman Ms. Marie Okabe stressed that within the United Nations, the
Secretary-General and the Secretariat continue to use the name "The
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia ."
The
actions of Dr. Kerim and FYROM are a clear indication of the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 's lack of respect for international law
and international institutions. They are also a blunt violation of the
US-brokered Interim Accord.
This
development clearly shows that the President of the UN General Assembly
has put his national interest over that of the United Nations.
Assurances
by the authorities in Skopje concerning the use of the name "the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia " in international
organizations are thus unreliable and untrustworthy. FYROM officials
ignore their commitments. The responsibility for the consequences of this
uncompromising position belongs exclusively and completely to the
government in Skopje .
It
should be noted that Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Mr.
Nicholas Burns, following a meeting in New York with Greece's Foreign
Minister Ms. Dora Bakoyannis on September 24, 2007, stressed that
"the time has come for progress on the FYROM name issue.this is our
message to Skopje, and the spirit of our meeting today with the foreign
minister.We wish to exercise our influence and urge Skopje, as we do with
Athens, that the time has come for progress." We fully concur with
this statement.
Many
Americans may think this is a minor issue. But the history of the region,
not to mention of Europe as a whole, demonstrates that whenever
irredentist claims are left unaddressed, the seeds of future conflicts are
sown. Europe today is governed by the rule of law; the completion of the
European project in the Balkans-and the extension of a zone of peace and
prosperity-rest upon the willingness of governments to live up to their
international commitments. Obligations are like a tapestry; even pulling
on what might appear to outsiders to be a small and insignificant thread
can end up unraveling the entire work. We have too much invested in the
stability of the region to allow this to happen.
Alexandros
P. Mallias is the ambassador of Greece to the United States . He was the
first ambassador of Greece to FYROM immediately after the signing of the
US-brokered Interim Accord in 1995. He has also served as Director of the
Southeastern Europe (Balkan Affairs) Department at the Foreign Ministry in
Athens , as Ambassador to Albania and Head of the European Community
Monitor Mission Regional Office in Sofia .
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