UNITED NATIONS: A UN envoy declared Wednesday he was “very hopeful” that a solution was within reach to end a 27-year dispute between Greece and Macedonia over the former Yugoslav republic’s name.
During talks at the United Nations, UN envoy Matthew Nimetz presented a proposal for a compromise to envoys that will now be discussed in Athens and Skopje.
Nimetz said he will travel to Greece and Macedonia soon to discuss the proposed solution, which was not made public.
“I am very hopeful that this process is moving in a positive direction,” Nimetz told reporters following the two-hour meeting at UN headquarters.
Greece’s objections to the use of the name Macedonia since the Balkan country’s independence in 1991 has hampered Skopje’s bid to join the European Union and NATO.
Macedonia is known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) at the United Nations, but the Security Council acknowledged that this was a provisional name when it agreed to membership.
“I view this as a good set of ideas, a compromise, and a package that both sides should feel comfortable with and lead to a dignified and satisfactory solution,” said Nimetz.
Some of the solutions floated include using the name New Macedonia or Northern Macedonia, but Greek nationalists argue that there should be no reference to Macedonia at all.
Greece maintains that the use of Macedonia suggests that Skopje has territorial claims to its own Macedonia — a northern region that boasts the port cities of Thessaloniki and Kavala and was the center of Alexander the Great’s ancient kingdom, a source of Greek pride.
In a rebuke to Greek hard-liners, Nimetz said it was “not realistic” to expect Macedonia not to have that name “in some form” in its official designation.
Several rounds of talks aimed at settling the dispute have failed, but the envoy said he believed the outcome would be different this time.
“I do think so. I really believe that we have leadership in both Athens and Skopje that genuinely want a solution,” he told reporters, flanked by Macedonia’s US Ambassador Vasko Naumovski and Greek envoy Adamantios Vassilakis.
Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said this month that he believed a solution could be found by July, while his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras has said the issue should be settled this year.
Tsipras this week pushed back against the influential Greek Orthodox Church after it said any compromise with Skopje should not include the use of “Macedonia.”
The proposed name is expected to be put to a referendum in Skopje and presented to the Greek parliament for endorsement, which could stoke nationalist fervor.
Church groups in Greece are already planning protests over the weekend.
Nimetz, an American who has been grappling with the name dispute for over 25 years, appealed to opposition leaders to be constructive in their response to the proposal.
“This dispute has gone on for 25 years. Should it go on for another 25 years? You know, is that going to be helpful to the people, to the young people in the area? I don’t think so,” he said.
UN envoy ‘very hopeful’ about solving Macedonia name dispute
UN envoy ‘very hopeful’ about solving Macedonia name dispute
Pull him off TV: Steve Bannon shuts down Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Trump’s former chief strategist called for the senator to be registered as a foreign agent
DUBAI: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon called on Tuesday for US Sen. Lindsey Graham to be registered as a foreign agent of the Israeli government, escalating a growing conservative backlash against the senator’s vocal support for Israel.
Speaking on his podcast “War Room,” Bannon said Graham should be “pulled off of television.”
“This is dangerous … because you have guys like Lindsey Graham and dozens more that are doing the wrong thing,” said Bannon.
In a Fox News interview on Monday, Graham said: “To all the antisemites, to all the isolationists … I’m not with you, I’m with Israel, I will be with Israel to our dying day.”
Graham also urged Gulf Arab states to join military action against Iran. “What I want you to do in the Middle East, to our friends in Saudi Arabia and other places, (is) step forward and say ‘this is my fight too, I join America, I’m publicly involved in bringing this regime down,’” he said.
In a post on X, Graham questioned the value of a US defense agreement with Saudi Arabia following the evacuation of the American Embassy in Riyadh, writing: “Why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?”
Faisal J. Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News, responded to Graham’s comments in a Sky News interview, saying: “He flip flops so much, it’s actually entertaining.”
“On one hand, he says he will never set foot in Saudi Arabia. The next day, he’s here signing multimillion-dollar deals.”
“I don’t think anyone here takes him seriously,” Abbas added.
He warned Graham to be careful what he wished for: “Do you really want Saudi Arabia involved in this war putting our oil facilities at risk or do you want us stabilizing the energy markets?”
Graham pressed further, warning that inaction would carry a price. “Hopefully Gulf Cooperation Council countries will get more involved as this fight is in their backyard. If you are not willing to use your military now, when are you willing to use it?”
“Hopefully this changes soon. If not, consequences will follow.”
The American Embassy is being evacuated in Riyadh because of sustained attacks by Iran against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 9, 2026
It is my understanding the Kingdom refuses to use their capable military as a part of an effort to end the barbaric and terrorist Iranian regime who has…
Graham’s remarks drew sharp criticism from Bannon and others including podcast host Megyn Kelly.
She questioned on X whether Graham was overstepping his authority as a senator, writing: “When did Lindsey Graham become our president?”
Kelly also said Graham had threatened Lebanon, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab region, and Spain within a 24-hour period.
When did Lindsay Graham become our president? In the past 24 hours he’s threatened Lebanon, Cuba, the Saudis, the wider Arab region and now - checks notes - Spain https://t.co/h53EuFJRyQ
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) March 10, 2026
The problem with Graham “isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him,” she said in another post.
Let’s get real. The problem with Lindsay Graham isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him, and Trump’s favorite channel is parading him around like a Hefner bunny in stockings on every show.
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) March 10, 2026
