Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08SKOPJE56
2008-01-24 07:21:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Skopje
Cable title:  

MACEDONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER AND GREEK AMBASSADOR

Tags:  PGOV PREL MK 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO9678
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSQ #0056/01 0240721
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 240721Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6932
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0165
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3736
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000056 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER AND GREEK AMBASSADOR
IN DIPLOMATIC, BUT POINTED EXCHANGE

REF: SKOPJE

SUMMARY
---------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000056

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER AND GREEK AMBASSADOR
IN DIPLOMATIC, BUT POINTED EXCHANGE

REF: SKOPJE

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (SBU) During a January 18 MFA briefing for NATO
Ambassadors in Skopje, Greek Ambassador Papadopolou engaged
FM Milososki in a diplomatic but pointed exchange on
Macedonia's NATO candidacy. Omitting direct discussion of
the "name issue," the Greek Ambassador instead focused on
what she characterized as Macedonia's "political
immaturity" and lack of "irreversible" reforms as
hindrances to its NATO candidacy. For his part, FM
Milososki commented on Macedonia's "vitality" in meeting
challenges and its unity on foreign policy priorities. The
Greek Ambassador's focus on Macedonia's performance
shortcomings underscored her effort to persuade the other
NATO Ambassadors that Macedonia is not ready to join NATO,
rather than dwelling on the unresolved name dispute as the
key obstacle to its accession. End summary.

GREEK AMBASSADOR: WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS, BUT YOU ARE NOT
READY FOR NATO
--------------


2. (SBU) During a January 18 briefing for NATO Ambassadors
in Skopje, Minister of Defense Elenovski and FM Milososki
gave upbeat presentations on the country's progress toward
NATO accession. Following the presentations, Greek
Ambassador Papadopolou stirred up the otherwise uneventful
Q&A session with a lengthy list of comments. The Greek
diplomat scrupulously avoided any reference to the hated
"FYROM" acronym or to any other reference to the host
country that would have soured the meeting. Her comments,
instead, focused entirely on what she described as
Macedonia's lack of readiness for NATO membership.


3. (SBU) Assuring the Macedonians of her friendly
intentions and expressing satisfaction with recent positive
developments in the country's political atmosphere,
Papadopolou said she was not persuaded that the positive
steps were "irreversible." She added that the overall
political climate was "unhealthy" and "immature."
Papadopolou advised the GOM not to base its security
planning solely on developments in Kosovo, and urged
Milososki to instead acknowledge that the country also
faces unspecified "serious internal security problems."
She concluded that she could not concur with positive
assessments of Macedonia's overall progress toward NATO
membership.


4. (SBU) Almost as an afterthought, Papadopolou mentioned
that good neighborly relations were still "a cornerstone
for Greece." She extolled the high rates of Greek private
investment in Macedonia as "the best example of confidence
building measures," and said it was time for the two
countries to move beyond the name issue to resolve it.

FM MILOSOSKI: WE NEED FRIENDS LIKE YOU, AND WE ARE
DETERMINED TO SUCCEED

--------------


5. (SBU) FM Milososki responded in a non-confrontational
and positive manner, thanking Greece for its "support" and
"friendship." He acknowledged the problems and challenges
any fledgling democracy faces, but stressed his country's
vitality in meeting such challenges. Milososki
characterized government-opposition differences as part of
any "normal democracy," but pointed to the selection of an
opposition party president to chair the Parliamentary
Euro-Integration Committee as proof of the government's
commitment to consensus-seeking. Milososki also noted
that, even though Macedonia's political parties disagreed
on domestic issues, they are unified in their foreign
policy goals, which Macedonia hoped "friends like Greece"
could help them to accomplish.


6. (SBU) Responding to the Greek Ambassador's remarks on
the name issue, Milososki reiterated that there are no

SKOPJE 00000056 002 OF 002


Greece-Macedonia problems on the social or security level,
and pledged to work toward a timely solution to the name
dispute. He added, unfortunately, a barbed remark about
Greece's earlier rejection of the 2005 Nimetz (UN
negotiator) proposal on the name, which Macedonia at the
time had accepted.

COMMENT
--------------


7. (SBU) The January 18 exchange between Greek Ambassador
Papadopolou and FM Milososki highlighted the Macedonian
side's attempt to demonstrate its good neighborly relations
with Greece and desire to work constructively with Athens
to overcome the practical obstacles posed by the name
dispute. The Greek Ambassador clearly was striving to
underscore to the other NATO Ambassadors that Macedonia is
not ready for NATO membership, rather than dwelling on the
name issue as the central obstacle to the country's
accession prospects.

MILOVANOVIC