Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) will meet for talks next week in New York.
The announcement came only hours after US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke ended a visit to Athens yesterday, which included a meeting with Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou.
The director of the Prime Minister's Diplomatic Office, Dimitris Karaitidis, said the Greek government agreed with the content of a US announcement that Athens and Skopje would conclude an agreement in a bid to establish the basis for friendly relations between the two neighbors.
Late last night, US President Bill Clinton said he welcomed "this courageous and visionary decision" by Mr. Papandreou and Skopje leader Kiro Gligorov.
The statement, which was read to journalists by the US charge d' affaires to Athens says:
"The United States announces simultaneously in Athens, Skopje and Washington that the Hellenic Republic and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have decided to send their Foreign Ministers to New York to conclude the agreement which takes the first important steps toward establishing the basis for friendly relations between these two neighbors.
"We welcome this development at this crucial and delicate stage in the search for peace in the Balkans. This is the culmination of months of extraordinary effort by the UN negotiator, Cyrus Vance, and the US Presidential Envoy, Matthew Nimetz."
The framework of the new consultations in New York has not yet been determined and it is possible that shortly before their commencement, Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias and his FYROM counterpart Stevo Crvenkovski will announce, on the Greek side, the lifting of the embargo, and on FYROM's, the withdrawal of the ancient Macedonian symbol of the Vergina Sun from FYROM's flag, along with changes to parts of the FYROM constitution that reflect irredentist claims.
Mr. Papoulias and government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos have stressed that Greece does not intend to lift the embargo if FYROM does not provide tangible evidence of its willingness to change its intransigent stand on these two issues.
Reliable diplomatic sources said yesterday that talks on these issues, included in Mr. Vance's so-called 'small package', will start in New York next week, and if agreement is obtained, the next phase of talks will centre exclusively on the issue of the name.
The talks will be the second attempt to bring the two parties to the table; previous talks under the aegis of UN mediator Cyrus Vance were canceled when Skopje did not turn up.
Speaking after he attended talks between Mr. Holbrooke and Mr. Papandreou, Mr. Papoulias said the progress of talks was satisfactory.
"We are close to an agreement which we hope will be achieved because it will contribute to peace in the Balkans," he said.
He denied reports that Greece would lift its trade embargo against the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia but conceded Greece's willingness to take part in negotiations with Skopje "if (FYROM President Kiro) Gligorov participates without preconditions".
Meanwhile, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos reiterated that Greece was ready to lift its retorsion measures against FYROM if Skopje gave "tangible indications" of altering its positions on the use of the Greek symbols in its flag and changes in its constitution.
Mr. Venizelos was speaking to reporters as Mr. Holbrooke held talks with the Greek government.
Mr. Venizelos said in reply to press questions that the proposals for a settlement of the FYROM issue submitted by UN mediator Cyrus Vance and US presidential envoy Matthew Nimetz "are known to the government, just as the Greek positions are known".
New Democracy party spokesman Vassilis Manginas made the following statement:
"It is clear that a resolution of the Bosnian crisis is in sight, leading to a suspension of the embargo imposed against Serbia.
"This development also affects Greece's hitherto exercised policy on the Skopje issue.
"For this reason, it is necessary for negotiations on the resolution of the problems created by Skopje against our country to proceed, always in the framework of the United Nations and the 'large package'. New Democracy remains put on these positions".
Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras reacted sharply to the announcement of the talks between Athens and Skopje, attacking both government and main opposition.
"The unheard of has happened tonight, the Greek people learning from the American embassy what the government itself did not have the courage to tell them... Mr. Papandreou is proceeding to close the issue according to the plans of the Americans, and with the blessings of (New Democracy party leader) Miltiades Evert.
They both have the obligation to accept Political Spring's call for an urgent convening of Parliament, so that the Greek people may come to realize their set game," he said.
Reacting to Mr. Samaras' statement, ND parliamentary spokesman Dimitris Sioufas said his party's positions on the FYROM issue were most clear, accused the Political Spring leader of histrionics, attributed to him (partial) responsibility for the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, and said he had provided PASOK with a life-jacket with his vote.
Coalition of the Left and Progress leader Nikos Constantopoulos accused the government of engaging in secret diplomacy on the FYROM issue, and called on it to undertake an initiative for direct talks, "instead of being drawn by others under pressure".
He also said it should make the appropriate moves for a lifting of the embargo and seek a comprehensive settlement of differences with Skopje.
In Paris earlier in the day, main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert, said the Skopje issue was already at the United Nations.
"It would be a blessing if both problems (the Skopje and the Yugoslav crisis) could be solved at the same time," he added.
Mr. Evert, currently on a visit to France, held a meeting yesterday with French President Jacques Chirac, saying that the latter had shown "understanding" of Greece's national problems.
He also said that the Yugoslav crisis was also discussed in the meeting, adding that "(we both) predicted that there will soon be peace in the region."
With 26 votes in favor, six against, and four abstentions, the Political Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe (CoE) yesterday approved a recommendation for the admission of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to the organization, and recommended, in turn, the adoption of this composite name by the Council of Ministers.
Both Greek members of the committee, PASOK deputy and former EU commissioner Vasso Papandreou and New Democracy party deputy Aristotelis Pavlidis, voted against the recommendation.
Ms Papandreou expressed the view that the decision adopted yesterday should have been postponed, first because FYROM did not yet fulfill the conditions necessary for admission, and secondly because it might upset the delicate phase of negotiations currently underway. She said the Council of Ministers now had to await the opinion of the Legal Committee. The question pending was whether the plenum of the CoE would decide on the matter in a special session in October, or in its regular session in February, she specified.
During today's discussion in CoE's Bureau, Ms Papandreou is expected to point out that the Legal Committee's report on the issues of human rights and democratization must be submitted before the matter goes to the plenum in October. If this procedure is completed, and the plenum agrees, then it is referred to the Committee of Permanent Representatives, where the right of veto exists.
Alternate Foreign Minister George Mangakis, who described the decision as "negative", but "expected", said Greece had no in principle objections to FYROM' admission to the CoE, if the conditions of human rights and democratization were met.
Mr. Pavlidis described the climate as "unpleasant", and said "constant vigilance was required" because there was a danger that the Legal Committee would also opine on the issue of the name.
Greece's main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert yesterday described his meeting with President Jacques Chirac as "interesting" and "friendly," adding that it could open the way to an improvement in Greek-French relations.
"(The meeting is proof that) personal contacts between leaders can help to an improvement of relations between peoples," he said, adding that he felt Greek-French relations were close would remain so.
The ND leader said his meeting with the French President focused on European problems and the Balkan crisis.
"Mr. Chirac found interesting a proposal for the signing of a recognition pact of the existing borders of the Balkan states, as way to a peaceful solution (to the crisis in the region)," Mr. Evert told the press.
He further said that France's positions on the Cyprus problem were "satisfactory."
Asked whether his visit will help improve relations between Greece and France, following the Cannes summit at which Mr. Chirac proposed Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller be invited to attend the next EU summit as an observer, Mr. Evert said:
"I will convey the positions of Mr. Chirac to the government which, I believe, will find them satisfactory. Following this, relations between the two countries could be led to improvement."
Asked whether the French positions had been changed, Mr. Evert said that the French president "believes that talks for a Cyprus EU accession could lead to a solution to the Cyprus problem."
"I welcome the decision by Prime Minister Papandreou and President Gligorov to send their Foreign Ministers to New York next week to complete an agreement on steps to establish friendly relations between their two countries. This courageous and visionary decision by both leaders is an extremely important step that will support current efforts to bring peace and stability to the Balkans. It is the result of months of intensive diplomatic efforts by Cyrus Vance, the United Nations mediator and by the President's envoy Matthew Nimetz, as well as meetings today in Athens and Skopje by the negotiating team lead by Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke.
"In this context, I also welcome Greece's strong support for the US peace initiative in the Balkans and its steadfast support as a NATO ally. Greece is an important partner in the ongoing negotiations and in the critical military decisions being taken within NATO. We will continue to consult closely with the Greek government in the coming weeks.
President Gligorov is dedicated to assuring that his new nation takes its rightful place in the international community. The imminent completion of an agreement with Greece demonstrates that significant progress has been made. I consider today's announcement a major step toward peace and stability in the Balkans. It is my fervent hope that it will encourage the leaders of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia to take further steps of their own toward peace."
US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke yesterday praised the Greek government's support of the US peace initiative in Bosnia and of NATO, and described Greece's role as "particularly significant for peace in the region".
Mr. Holbrooke was in Athens yesterday to brief the Greek government on latest developments in peace negotiations on the Yugoslav crisis. He met with Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias first and then with Mr. Papoulias in attendance, met with Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou.
"I wish to convey to Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and the Greek government where negotiations stand at present," Mr. Holbrooke said on arrival in Athens.
The envoy said "a major procedural breakthrough has been achieved in Yugoslav peace efforts", but conceded that more negotiations were needed to resolve the 40-month-old Bosnia crisis.
"I don't want to leave you with the impression that a political and diplomatic solution is in sight. There is still a long road ahead, which is very difficult," he said.
In statements following his 45-minute meeting with Mr. Papoulias, Mr. Holbrooke said that he passed on to the Greek foreign minister "confidential information on the process of the (Bosnia) talks", which he said "require utmost secrecy".
Mr. Papoulias told reporters that "there are difficulties in the peace process", and expressed the hope that a three-way meeting between the Bosnian, Croatian and Yugoslav leaders "will take place in Geneva next Friday and a peace agreement will be signed soon".
Mr. Holbrooke further said that he and Mr. Papoulias spent a large part of their meeting "in understanding the complexities of a country such as Serbia", and described as "important" Mr. Papoulias' meeting last Sunday with Yugoslav Foreign Minister Milan Milutinovic, who until his recent appointment was the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's ambassador to Greece. Speaking after he attended the meeting between Mr. Holbrooke and Mr. Papandreou, Mr. Papoulias again voiced hope that a peace agreement would be clinched by as early as next month.
"At present we are at the brink of war or peace in Bosnia and I hope the meeting in Geneva will take place on Friday so that a peace agreement could be signed by the end of September," he said.
"Nevertheless, it is possible that the course of developments could be upset by circles that do not want peace," he told reporters.
Mr. Holbrooke said that immediately after Athens he would go to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to brief FYROM leader Kiro Gligorov because "the Skopje problem is a part of the Yugoslav problem" and then on to Ankara, for talks with the Turkish government and visiting Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic.
Mr. Holbrooke's visit to Ankara was added to his itinerary Sunday so that he could brief Mr. Izetbegovic - currently on a visit to Turkey - on the results of the Belgrade talks.
Mr. Holbrooke met with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic on Sunday to discuss details of the tripartite meeting in Geneva next week. He said the one-day Geneva meeting would "lay the groundwork for future negotiations".
The meeting, Mr. Holbrooke said, would be followed by "hard, tough bargaining on return (from the Geneva talks)".
Mr. Holbrooke originally planned to visit Athens two weeks ago but the loss of three key US negotiators in a road accident in Bosnia forced the cancellation of his trip.
"We have returned to Athens with a new reconstituted team to report to Greece on peace efforts in former Yugoslavia. Yesterday (Sunday) we reported to NATO. Today (yesterday) we report to Greece, a valued NATO ally," the US envoy said.
Meanwhile, Communist Party of Greece Secretary-General Aleka Papariga yesterday accused the Greek government of being the "courier of US policy in the Balkans.
For as long as Greece follows closely US and EU orders, Ms. Papariga said, "the Greek people should know that Greece cannot play a positive role in the region, and that the threat of war will not go away."
"We seek the total differentiation of the Greek government from NATO policy," she added.
Ms Papariga said the "NATO peace process" essentially carried the seeds of war, adding that within the framework of "divide and rule," the US policy does not really pursue peace, but opposition, chaos and the use of guns.
She added that things will not calm down as long as NATO is in the region and as long as the rapid reaction forces are in operation.
Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller yesterday reiterated her threat to wage war on Greece if it extended its territorial waters to 12 miles, a right provided by the international Law of the Sea Convention.
"I had said that in case they extended their territorial waters to 12 miles, that would be a cause for war. But I didn't say that for domestic consumption. I said the same thing abroad. And when I said it, they understood that I would do it. World public opinion felt this better than domestic public opinion," she told the daily 'Hurriyet' in an interview.
Ms Ciller referred to a thorough re-examination of policy regarding Cyprus and Greek-Turkish relations.
"We are again going through a thorough examination of our relations with Greece, but it would not be appropriate to announce anything at this stage,"
"The re-examination is being jointly carried out with the Turkish foreign ministry, the general staff, my special advisers, the presidency of the republic and competent ministers," she added.
She noted that conditions had been reversed in international public opinion, and it was now Greece that appeared to be raising objections to a solution of the Cyprus problem.
"We are now the ones applying the pressure, along with (Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf) Denktash, Greece is trying to dodge (pressure); the roles have changed completely," she said.
"Along with the confidence-building measures, we must also clear up the territorial question, and the issue of federation or confederation," she added, stressing that Turkey was now not concerned, as previously, as to "whether Cyprus joins the European Union or not".
Ankara yesterday protested the denial by Greek authorities to permit Turkish planes to cross Greek air space en route to Italy, where they were to join the NATO air force.
An announcement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the Greek authorities did not give permission for the passage "of eight Turkish aircraft requested by NATO to the point of their destination".
The announcement added that Turkish aircraft "had to choose other routes for the completion of the mission."
"This stance by Greece, which runs counter to the solidarity between allies, will inevitably have a negative influence on the decisions and solidarity of the Alliance."
Ten Turkish aircraft are currently at air force bases in Italy and are being used for aid missions, within the framework of NATO activities in former Yugoslavia.
Spanish Ambassador to Athens Jose Cuenca Anaya yesterday thanked Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias for mediating in the release of five European Union monitors held hostage by Bosnian Serbs last week.
Mr. Anaya also conveyed Spanish Foreign Minister Xavier Solana's thanks to Mr. Papoulias.
Mr. Papoulias brokered the release following a request late Saturday by Mr. Solana, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency.
Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos welcomed as "positive" the release of the European Union monitors.
Asked why the EU did not take a stance on the NATO air raids on Bosnian Serb positions, Mr. Venizelos conceded that "there is a problem with respect to EU common foreign policy".
"EU common foreign policy has not made the best demonstration of efficiency," Mr. Venizelos said.
President Kostis Stephanopoulos, former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and Greek and foreign personalities from the sectors of politics, the sciences and the arts attended the "Athens Meeting" on political, economic and cultural developments on the threshold of the 21st century at the Pnyx yesterday afternoon.
The meeting was organized by the National Technical University of Athens (Polytechnic) and sponsored by European Parliament President Klaus Haensch with the cooperation of the Hagen University and the International Economic, Political and Social Studies Foundation.
President Stephanopoulos expressed the hope the 21st century will be the century of democracy and culture and not only of technological achievements.
"The concept of democracy offers the guarantee for peace and has prevailed against its ideological rivals. Its main characteristic is the dissemination of powers and a corporate democracy should be supported and assisted by suitable institutions at present," he said.
Alternate Foreign Minister George Mangakis addressed the meeting on behalf of the Greek government.
"Humanity is faced with real existential problems on the threshold of the 21st century which require solutions. The European Union is called on to shape new ways of effective operation which will secure and deepen the unity of states and peoples composing it, while at the same time honoring their cultural and national individuality," he said.
Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos referred to the new role the historic city of Athens was called on to play and to the need to create new citizens in the classic sense of the word.
European Parliament President Mr. Haensch said democracy needed the help of all, adding that the place where democracy could develop was at present the European Union.
"Democracy does not mean an abolition of power. The 1996 intergovernmental conference will not be the final step in stabilizing the EU. But then it will be possible to welcome Cyprus and Malta," he said.
The problems of insecurity, poverty, corruption, abstention from electoral procedures, excessive power wielded by the media, and the lack of new policies, were identified as the weak points of democracy during the roundtable discussion on 'the destiny of democracy in the 21st century', which is the theme of this year's 'Athens Meeting', last night.
Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides, former American Senator John Brademas, president of the European Reconstruction and Development Bank Jacques Attali, and Greek Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis were among the participants.
"We don't need new utopias, new formations, and new Procrustean beds in the new century. We need the appropriate policy for peace to be consolidated," said Mr. Gorbachev. With the collapse of Communism, the world has entered "a new period where the objective is not ideology, but the solution of problems which preoccupy people... Regional or world organizations determine new frameworks and principles, seeking universality and interdependence which transcend state borders," said President Clerides in his address.
Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis said, "the cause of democracy is won every time a society adopts the right decisions through the appropriate procedures, and is lost every time it is led to sterile conflicts and dangerous instability".
National Defense Minister Gerassimos Arsenis yesterday said developments in the Balkans underlined the need to speed up the implementation of the joint Cyprus-Greece defense doctrine.
Mr. Arsenis was speaking after a meeting with Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides who is currently visiting Athens.
Mr. Clerides expressed satisfaction with progress in the implementation of the doctrine and said that things were moving according to schedule.
Taking part in the meeting were also Cyprus Foreign Minister Alecos Michaelides, Undersecretary to the President Pantelis Kouros and Cyprus Ambassador to Athens Charalambos Christophorou.
Mr. Clerides is in Athens to take part in the roundtable discussion on "the destiny of democracy in the 21st century".
Mr. Clerides will also meet with President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos, Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou as well as other Greek political leaders.
Mali diplomats stationed in Athens and Ukraine, as well as two officials who arrived from Mali itself yesterday to receive the bodies of their six compatriots killed in the Russian-built Antonov 26 transport plane crash in Thessaloniki last week, were briefed yesterday on the progress of the investigation into the causes of the crash.
Embassy official Yacub Yalo described as "fiction" reports alleging that the plane was transporting atomic bomb making material.
The recorded conversation between the pilot of the plane and the control tower, shortly before the crash, has been sent to Russia for examination, which is expected to further delay the report on the exact causes of the accident.
Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou held a 40-minute meeting at his residence in Ekali yesterday with Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Costas Laliotis and, according to reports, gave him full backing in his confrontation with former minister Theodoros Pangalos.
Mr. Laliotis made no statement after the meeting but circles close to him indicated he is strongly displeased with PASOK deputy and former EU commissioner Vasso Papandreou who, in their view, kept an equal distance between the two in a statement she made on Sunday.
"At some time in life you have to choose with who you will go and who you will leave," the circles said, referring to Ms Papandreou's stance.
Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said the government and the Greek people had condemned and made a negative assessment of Theodoros Pangalos' conduct, referring to his feud with Mr. Laliotis over the contract for the new Athens airport at Spata.
Mr. Pangalos has attacked Mr. Laliotis over the terms of the contract and alleged that the revised Spata airport contract "contained all the big interests".
Replying to questioners on whether this assessment ruled out the possibility of Mr. Pangalos joining the government, Mr. Venizelos said these matters were handled by the prime minister.
Mr. Venizelos said the feud between Mr. Pangalos and Mr. Laliotis was not a personal confrontation. He said there were party processes and established practice governing the behavior of PASOK's members. The government, he added, had a policy on the air port issue and there was a relevant unanimous decision by the Cabinet, the law of the state and a government policy position on the issue.
He said Mr. Laliotis specified precisely the framework of government policy and Mr. Pangalos attacked government policy and set out his argumentation with a tone, character and vocabulary of his own choice.
Referring to the same issue in Thessaloniki yesterday, Interior Minister Costas Skandalidis said Mr. Pangalos' statement on the Spata airport and his incisive attack on Mr. Laliotis dealt a blow to the government's public image.
Mr. Skandalidis said the government had taken a unanimous decision on the airport issue, the PASOK party had a policy commitment on it, the contract was beneficial for the state and was more beneficial than the one concluded when the New Democracy party was in power.
Replying to questioners on whether or not he agreed to disciplinary action against Mr. Pangalos, Mr. Skandalidis said "allow me to set out my position on the issue at PASOK's relevant agencies."
President of the General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE) and PASOK Central Committee member Christos Protopappas made the following statement yesterday regarding the issue:
"I believe that the tone, lying outside the limits of politics, of Mr. Pangalos' statements and their content can only undermine a project which is essential for development, the country's infrastructure and employment."
The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) called on the government yesterday to demand 52 billion dollars from Germany as compensation for the Nazi occupation and to take recourse at international law courts if it was refused.
A KKE seminar yesterday estimated that compensation for all damage caused by the Nazis, including the repayment of a German occupation loan now valued at 16.8 billion dollars, amounted to about 52 billion dollars (about 11.5 trillion drachmas), at current prices.
The event was attended by local administration and resistance organization representatives.