ELEFTHEROTYPIA: US URGE FOR EARLY ELECTIONS IN GREECE BECAUSE OF MACEDONIA
Regional.
The US is pressing the Greek Government to call early elections to allow Washington to close the issue of the name of Macedonia and its membership in NATO ahead of the next Alliance Summit.
Greek daily Eleftherotypia says that US Undersecretary Nicholas Burns conveyed the request to the Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis during her visit to Washington in late March.
The NATO Summit that is expected to produce a decision on further enlargement of the Alliance is slated for April 2008 a month after the date of general elections in Greece.
The Greek paper says that US needs at least couple of months prior to the Summit
to come up with a third proposal on the name of Macedonia through the UN mediator Matthew Nimetz.
According to Eleftherotypia, the Greek polls are impeding the US plans (for Macedonia) and official Washington will do everything in its power to solve the problem in timely manner.
What is certain for the time being is the visit of the State Department Undersecretary Nicholas Burns to Athens, just a day after the visit of US President George Bush to Tirana, scheduled for 10 June.
MD: Another Greek newspaper said that Nimitz's next proposal is likely to be less favorable for Greece than the last one - Republika Makedonija-Skopje, tabled in 2005.
[MakFax]
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