MACEDONIA: CODEL POE HEARS GOVERNMENT, OPPOSITION,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000016 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/SCE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV NATO MK SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: CODEL POE HEARS GOVERNMENT, OPPOSITION, AND LOCAL VIEWS ON THE NAME DISPUTE REF: SKOPJE 696 SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) In meetings on December 17 and 18, local and national political leaders briefed Representative Ted Poe (R-TX) on their views of the name dispute with Greece and challenges to its resolution. Speaker of the Parliament Veljanovski and leading opposition MP Sekerinska concurred that Macedonia's key redline is the use of the adjective "Macedonian" to describe the country,s nationality and language. Despite agreement on that redline, the two offered quite different assessments of the causes of stagnation or backsliding on progress toward a resolution. Macedonia's Ambassador to the U.S. -- and newly-appointed name negotiator -- Jolevski hinted at a possible hardened government position and potential new redlines, while Dragi Delev, Mayor of the border city of Gevgelija, explained that local-level cross border relations are good, and that citizens on both sides want their leaders to be flexible in the negotiations and focused on what is most important to them -- economic development, education, services and infrastructure. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Congressman Ted Poe visited Macedonia Dec. 17-19, and held meetings with Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanovski, opposition MP and former SDSM party leader Radmila Sekerinska, Macedonian Ambassador to the U.S. (and negotiator on the name issue) Zoran Jolevski, Mayor of Gevgelija Dragi Delev, and Ambassador Reeker and Embassy staff. Sekerinska and Veljanovski: Opposition and Government Redlines the Same, but Strategies Differ -------------- -------------- ¶3. (SBU) SDSM MP Sekerinska described the current political and economic environment in Macedonia as worse than before the April 2008 NATO summit, saying that citizens are becoming increasingly cynical and disappointed. She asserted that the current government's policies and actions have "fed the Greek rhetoric," creating an environment in which a mutually-acceptable resolution to the name dispute is virtually impossible. Sekerinska called for the government to set aside popularity polls and make tough decisions for the sake of the country's progress. As an example of the type of statesmanship she feels is lacking in this government, she cited SDSM's support for the Ohrid Framework Agreement in the critical months following its signing, saying hers was the only ethnic Macedonian party "that stood by the agreement even when others called it treasonous" in order to create a better environment for inter-ethnic relations. While she noted that while no Macedonian would say he or she "likes" the idea of a compound name such as "Upper Macedonia" or "North Macedonia," a compromise with Greece will require as much. She indicated her party is flexible on the name, but has redlines requiring the use of "Macedonian" as the adjective to describe the country,s language and nationality. ¶4. (SBU) Speaker of Parliament Veljanovski offered Congressman Poe a similar view of redlines on the name issue, saying "no politician here would ever enter into a discussion of a potential agreement that takes away our identity as Macedonians." While the opposition suggested that the current government is not fully committed to continuing efforts to ensure NATO membership, Veljanovski stated that the government has and will continue to make every effort to see the name issue resolved, saying that the government will take "all necessary steps" to become a member of NATO, including continued domestic reforms. He added that he "expects that in 2009, in some way, Macedonia will become a NATO member." Unlike opposition leaders, Veljanovski does not view his government's actions as provocative or harmful to the environment for potential resolution of the name dispute. He indicated that Macedonia's filing against Greece in the International Court of Justice for violating the 1995 Interim Accord (reftel) is not intended to sideline discussions on a possible agreement on the name. "Its only purpose," Veljanovski stated, "is to show that the Accord was violated, and we realize that could take years." New Name Negotiator Sticks to Firm Line -------------- ¶5. (SBU) At a lunch meeting on December 18, Macedonia's Ambassador to the U.S. and newly-appointed name negotiator Zoran Jolevski (in Skopje on consultations) offered illustrative stories and questions that suggest continuing inflexibility of the government position on the name dispute. SKOPJE 00000016 002 OF 002 After telling the story of his son's storming out of a Washington, D.C. retailer because the cashier "insisted upon calling Macedonia 'FYROM'," Jolevski asked "how can Macedonians be expected to live with a name on their passports that offends them every day when it will never be seen by most of the Greeks who are offended by 'Republic of Macedonia'?" He also shared concerns about the use of any new name (such as "North Macedonia") in international organizations, saying "we cannot agree to be called a name that offends us." Jolevski concurred with opposition leaders' view that the environment for compromise between Macedonia and Greece has deteriorated over the past two years, but said little of the blame for that falls on his government: "Greece has chosen to make the Macedonia issue the top issue in their domestic politics." Mayor of Gevgelija: Cross-Border Relations are Good at the Local Level -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Dragi Delev, Mayor of border city Gevgelija, indicated that individual and civic-level cross border relations are good. "As a border area, we must be flexible on the name dispute," Delev offered, "since we understand the importance of economic links and we realize that we all must live in this region peacefully and cooperatively." A former history teacher, Delev offered an equally moderate view of the region's shared history, saying "Alexander the Great was an international person who did not belong to the Greeks or the Macedonians, but to history." In order to improve the environment for agreement between the two nations, Delev suggested that both sides should "worry about health care, education, and employment of citizens" rather than what he described as "competitive statue-building." ¶7. (U) CODEL Poe cleared this cable. REEKER