FYROM to resolve name dispute

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, introduced H.Res. 650, a resolution that urges the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to work within the framework of the United Nations process with Greece to achieve longstanding United States and United Nations policy goals of resolving the name dispute and encourages the United States to work with its NATO allies to uphold previous NATO Summits decisions, with regard to the enlargement issue.

“This resolution sends an important signal that the United States strongly supports a solution to the name issue and continues to encourage Skopje and Athens to reach a mutually acceptable solution as soon as possible,” said Maloney. “As the United States and its NATO allies consider the future of NATO and possible changes in membership, it is particularly important that we reiterate the decisions reached at previous NATO Summits to extend an invitation to the FYROM as soon as a mutually-acceptable solution to the name issue has been reached.”

“To uphold the integrity of the alliance, long-held NATO rulings and agreements should be honored and should not be allowed to be circumvented,” Bilirakis said. “As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, I can tell you first hand that this is a very important issue. The United States, as a NATO member, needs to consider expansion cohesively and within the framework of the alliance.”

IV

112TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 650

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia should work within the framework of the United Nations process with Greece to achieve longstanding United States and United Nations policy goals of finding a mutually acceptable name, for all uses, for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 10, 2012

Mrs. MALONEY (for herself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. PALLONE,

Mr. SIRES, Mr. GRIMM, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois,

and Mr. MCGOVERN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred

to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia should work

within the framework of the United Nations process with Greece to achieve longstanding United States and United

Nations policy goals of finding a mutually acceptable  name, for all uses, for the former Yugoslav Republic

of Macedonia.

Whereas on April 8, 1993, the United Nations General Assembly admitted as a member the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, under the name the ‘‘former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’’;

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Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 817 (1993) states that the international dispute over the

name must be resolved to maintain peaceful relations between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and regional stability;

Whereas Greece is a strategic partner and ally of the United States in bringing political stability and economic development to the Balkan region, having invested over $20 billion in the countries of the region, thereby creating

over 200,000 new jobs, and having contributed over $750 million in development aid for the region;

Whereas Greece has invested over $1 billion in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, thereby creating more

than 20,000 new jobs and having contributed $110 million in development aid;

Whereas H. Res. 356 of the 110th Congress, urged the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to abstain from

hostile activities and stop the utilization of materials that violate provisions of the United Nations-brokered Interim

Agreement between the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece regarding ‘‘hostile activities or

propaganda’’;

Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) heads of state and government unanimously agreed in

Bucharest (April 3, 2008) that ‘‘. . . within the framework of the UN, many actors have worked hard to resolve

the name issue, but the Alliance has noted with regret that these talks have not produced a successful outcome.

Therefore we agreed that an invitation to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will be extended

as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue has been reached. We encourage the negotiations to

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be resumed without delay and expect them to be concluded as soon as possible’’;

Whereas the heads of state and government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Strasbourg/

Kehl (April 4, 2009), as well as the heads of state and government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic

Council in Lisbon (November 20, 2010), reiterated their unanimous support for the agreement at the Bucharest

Summit ‘‘to extend an invitation to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as soon as a mutually acceptable

solution to the name issue has been reached within the framework of the UN, and urge intensified efforts towards

that goal.’’;

Whereas the government in Skopje in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, through both its policies, activities, and rhetoric over the last few years, has been violating the spirit and the letter of the Interim Agreement

(IA) of 1995 between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, thus undermining the friendly relations between the two countries; and Whereas authorities in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

urged their citizens to boycott Greek investments in the country and not to travel to Greece: Now, therefore,

be it 1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

2 (1) urges the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to work within the framework of the United

4 Nations process with Greece to achieve longstanding

5 United States and United Nations policy goals by

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1 finding a mutually acceptable name, for all uses, for 2 the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia;

3 (2) urges the former Yugoslav Republic of Mac4 edonia to abstain from all hostile activities and stop

5 violating provisions of the United Nations-brokered 6 Interim Agreement between the former Yugoslav Re7

public of Macedonia and Greece regarding ‘‘hostile 8 activities or propaganda’’; and

9 (3) urges the United States Government to 10 work in partnership with North Atlantic Treaty Or11

ganization (NATO) allies to uphold previous NATO 12 Summits decisions, with regard to the enlargement

13 issue and extend an invitation to the former Yugo14 slav Republic of Macedonia as soon as a mutually

15 acceptable solution to the name issue has been 16 reached within the framework of the United Nations.

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