MACEDONIA: "YES" TO NIMETZ PROPOSAL ON THE NAME

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000239

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR ACTING P - AMB FRIED, EUR - KVOLKER, EUR/SCE -
DICARLO, USNATO FOR AMB NULAND

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV NATO MK GR
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: "YES" TO NIMETZ PROPOSAL ON THE NAME

REF: SKOPJE

Classified By: P/E CHIEF SHUBLER, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The President's and Prime Minister's Chiefs
of Staff informed us today that the GOM will accept the
latest Nimetz proposal on the name (reftel) without any
modifications. Though areas of disagreement remain between
the President and PM regarding the substance of the proposal,
they have agreed to accept it, and have asked for USG
assistance in getting the Greeks on board. The GOM has
started the process of consulting with the political parties,
and will hold a parliamentary session on the decision on
Monday. Both the PM and President will insist on a
referendum to endorse the decision. Despite increasing
support for compromise across party lines, within the media
and among intellectuals, PM Gruevski remains concerned that
public support for compromise is limited. End summary.

GOM ACCEPTS PROPOSAL, "AS IS"


2. (C) The President's and Prime Minister's Chiefs of Staff
(Natasha Savova and Martin Protoger, respectively) informed
us March 28 that the GOM had accepted the latest Nimetz
proposal on the name (reftel),"as is," without additional
modifications. Protoger said that there are still areas of
disagreement between the President and the Prime Minister on
the substance of the proposal, and any changes to the
proposal would result in the GOM withdrawing its acceptance.
Both stressed that the GOM position was not being made
public, but was being passed to the USG in the hope that we
could work with Athens to get the Greeks to agree to the
compromise.

POLITICAL CONSULTATIONS ONGOING


3. (C) Protoger said that the President and Prime Minister
Gruevski would be consulting with the leaders of the four
major government and opposition parties, and then with
smaller parties represented in parliament. Consultations
would conclude on Monday, March 31, with a parliamentary
session in which MPs would be briefed on the government
decision.

REFERENDUM REQUIRED


4. (C) Both the President and the Prime Minister would insist
on a referendum to endorse the decision, according to
Protoger, although that would take place after the Bucharest
Summit. He also pressed for a USG guarantee that Macedonia's
acceptance of the proposal would ensure that Greece would not
veto the country's NATO invitation. We were clear that the
USG could not make that guarantee, but noted that accepting
the proposal puts Macedonia in a strong position vis-a-vis
Athens, and with other NATO allies.

PUBLIC NOT IN A MOOD FOR COMPROMISE?


5. (SBU) Protoger said that the Macedonian public was in no
mood for a compromise, based on polling the government had
conducted over the past 10 days. He did concede that there
is strong support, across party and ethnic lines, in the
media and among academics and intellectuals here. He also
said the GOM would prefer to be invited to NATO under the
name in the Nimetz proposal -- "Republic of Macedonia
(Skopje)", rather than FYROM -- adding that that might help
increase public support for a referendum later on.

COMMENT


6. (C) Getting the GOM to this point was always a long shot,
and fears (especially on the part of PM Gruevski) of being
accused of selling out the country to appease Greece remain
acute. Tensions are running high, and the political careers,
and even the lives, of those willing to compromise on the
name, are coming under threat. Yesterday, an organization
calling itself "The Macedonian Guards" sent a letter to media
outlets threatening to "liquidate" ten persons if they
continue to press for compromise on the name issue --
including four MPs, two former Foreign Ministers, and the
head of the Macedonian Association of Journalists.
Maintaining the fragile consensus, when we have already made

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clear that we cannot guarantee that Greece will not veto at
Bucharest, will be difficult if Macedonia is asked to agree
to further unspecified adjustments to the Nimetz proposal.


7. (C) While we remain concerned that any changes to the
proposal could cause the collapse of the fragile consensus in
Macedonia, we are pressing the GOM to indicate publicly only
that they accept the proposal and look forward to a rapid
successful conclusion of the negotiations, without insisting
that the proposal only be accepted "as is". FM Milososki
stated publicly this afternoon that Macedonia thinks this is
the final proposal in the process, but refrained from saying
publicly that Macedonia accepted it, or that the GOM would
accept only if there were no changes.
MILOVANOVIC