MACEDONIA: A STEP FORWARD ON THE NAME ISSUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SKOPJE 000103 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/SCE E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV MK GR SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: A STEP FORWARD ON THE NAME ISSUE REF: A. SKOPJE 99 ¶B. SKOPJE 98 ¶C. SKOPJE 95 Classified By: P/E CHIEF SHUBLER, REASONS 1.4(B) & (D). ¶1. (C) President Crvenkovski's Chief of Staff, Natasha Savova, gave us a brief readout by phone on the February 8 closed-door meeting between the President and Prime Minister to discuss the approach to the name issue and Macedonia's NATO candidacy. Savova said she and the President were "shocked and surprised" at Gruevski's constructiveness and flexibility in the meeting, during which they discussed various options for a name for use in international organizations (reftels). She added that she was confident the GOM would be able to take a more flexible approach in the upcoming Macedonia-Greece meeting with UN Negotiator Nimetz in Athens on February 19, but that the GOM would require a reciprocal willingness from Greece. ¶2. (C) Comment: Savova's positive readout of the meeting confirms our impression in ref A that PM Gruevski has begun to shift from his hardline insistence on the "dual name" position, to one in which the government could accept a solution consistent with Nimetz's framework and along the lines of the parameters favored by Washington. We do not want to oversell the degree to which the GOM is ready for compromise at this stage, but we believe the signs are promising. We will keep nudging Skopje toward continued flexibility and readiness for compromise. Athens will have to be prepared to reciprocate fully in the coming weeks if we are to get both sides to YES on a NATO invitation for Macedonia, and a name solution both parties can at least live with. MILOVANOVIC