Generational Dynamics World View

[John J. Xenakis]

*** 5-Feb-18 World View -- Hundreds of thousands in Athens Greece protest Macedonia name compromise

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Hundreds of thousands in Athens Greece protest Macedonia name compromise
  
• Officials go from optimism to pessimism over solving Macedonia issue
  

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**** Hundreds of thousands in Athens Greece protest Macedonia name compromise
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Hundreds of thousands of Greeks rallied in Athens on Sunday (Sky News)

Chances to resolve a major European dispute dimmed considerably on
Sunday, when hundreds of thousands of Greeks crowded into Syntagma
Square in the center of Athens on Sunday to protest any name change
that contains the word "Macedonia." Crowd size estimates varied from
140,000 to one million.

The dispute is between Greece and the country just north of Greece
known as the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (FYROM), or
informally (outside of Greece) as just "Republic of Macedonia."

Greece has vetoed attempts by Macedonia to join either Nato or the EU
because many Greeks consider "Macedonia" to be pure Greek name, and
they oppose another other country using it as part of their own name.
They are especially infuriated by Macedonia's claims that Alexander
the Great was Macedonian. They claim that he was Greek because at
that time the Kingdom of Macedon was part of Greece.

The proposed compromises involve adding a modifier, such as "Republic
of New Macedonia," or "Republic of Upper Macedonia." In the past,
right-wing nationalistic governments in both Greece and Macedonia were
refusing to accept any compromise. However, it's been hoped that a
compromise will be reached this year, because the governing parties in
both countries are left-wing.

In Athens, the protests were led by 93-year-old composer Mikis
Theodorakis, who wrote the score for "Zorba the Greek." He has always
been on the far left, but on Sunday he was supporting the far right in
opposing any compromise on the Macedonia name. On Saturday,
self-described Anarchists spray-painted red paint all over his home,
but on Sunday he said, "I am calm and ready." Kathimerini (Athens) and Greek Reporter and BBC and Meta (Macedonia)

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**** Officials go from optimism to pessimism over solving Macedonia issue
****


The statue of Alexander the Great in Freedom Square in the heart of Skopje, Macedonia's capital city, infuriates the Greeks

There has been growing hope expressed by officials in Nato and the
European Union, in Macedonia and even among some officials in Greece,
that finally this decades-old struggle might finally be resolved.

However, Sunday's huge anti-compromise rally in Athens is going to
make compromise difficult. Opinion polls show that a majority of
Greeks oppose the use of "Macedonia" in any compromise solution.
About 300,000 people turned out at a demonstration on Jan. 21 in
Thessaloniki, capital of Greece’s Macedonia region. Even members of
Greece's parliament who would like to adopt a compromise know that
they will have to face angry voters in the next election.

Some Greek officials are saying that there are very real reasons for
concern in agreeing to allow "Macedonia" to be part of FYROM's new
name. These concerns stem from FYROM's constitution.

Article 3 of the FYROM constitution says that the country "has no
territorial claims against neighboring countries," but also states
that the country’s borders could change in accordance with "the
principle of free will and in agreement with internationally accepted
rules."

Article 49 raises the greatest concerns:

<QUOTE>"The republic is interested in the regime and the
rights of all persons belonging to the Macedonian people in
neighboring countries, as well as Macedonian expats, by assisting
in their cultural development and and promoting bonds between
them."<END QUOTE>

Greek officials are concerned that when the lawyers take over at some
future time, then these articles could be used to claim that any
Greeks living in Greece's Macedonian provinces are under the
jurisdiction of the Republic of Macedonia.

Any compromise agreement would have to be ratified by the parliaments
of both countries by a 2/3 majority. If there is no ratification,
then each country would have to hold a referendum. There has been a
lot of optimism that this problem will be solved this year, but
Sunday's huge rally in Athens must at least turn some of that optimism
to pessimism. Balkan EU and Greek Reporter (24-Jan) and Greek Reporter (16-Jan)

Related Articles

• More than 100,000 Greeks hold mass protest over 'Macedonia' name change (23-Jan-2018)
  
  
• Protesters storm Macedonia's parliament fearing calls for 'Greater Albania' (29-Apr-2017)
  
  
• TV audience shocked watching dramatic suicide of Croat commander convicted of war crimes in Bosnian war (30-Nov-2017)
  
  
• European officials worry that Macedonia's chaos could destabilize the Balkans (07-May-2017)
  
  
• Macedonia declares state of emergency along border with Greece (22-Aug-2015)
  

KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Greece, Athens, Macedonia,
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, FYROM,
Alexander the Great, Kingdom of Macedon,
Mikis Theodorakis, Zorba the Greek

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