UNCERTAINTY RESUMES
National.
Heads of State and Government of NATO member countries are having working supper at the Presidential Palace in Bucharest to discuss the Alliance's enlargement and Greece's threat to veto Macedonia's NATO membership.
At the supper Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is expected to elaborate his country's position on Macedonia's admittance to NATO.
- There is no time for a new proposal in the dispute with Skopje. Without solution there could be no invitation, said Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyiannis earlier today.
In Tuesday's address at the Trans-Atlantic Forum held within NATO Summit in Bucharest, U.S. President George Bush stressed that "a historic decision" for the NATO enlargement with three new countries - Macedonia, Albania and Croatia - will be adopted at the Summit.
"USA strongly support the accession of the three countries to NATO, and their citizens deserve the security provided by the Alliance", emphasized Bush.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said at the forum that he wanted all three countries of the Adriatic Group to join the Alliance. He announced that NATO officials would discuss this "important issue".
Unnamed NATO sources claim that US insists that Macedonia obtains an invitation together with other two Adriatic Group members, unlike other member-states, which are "indifferent" on the issue. They say that two draft-versions of the membership invitations have been prepared - one reading "NATO allies salute the invitations extended to Albania and Croatia...", and the other referring to all three countries.
The definite decision on Macedonia, Albania, and Croatia's accession to NATO would be passed at the meeting of the North-Atlantic Council around noon Thursday. However, there is a possibility for extension of the debate in the afternoon, so that additional time is provided for a last-minute solution.
MD: No official announcements yet, today will be the big decision day! Keep our fingers crossed!
[Mia]
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