Macedonia Takes Greece to World Court

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/14845/


Macedonia Takes Greece to World Court


Macedonia's Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki
17 November 2008 Skopje _ Macedonia has filed a motion at the International Court of Justice accusing Greece of breaking a UN agreement when it blocked Skopje’s bid to join NATO in April.

“We filed the application to the International Court of Justice. The reason is to protect our rights envisaged in the Interim Accord,” Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki told media.

Greece and Macedonia signed the United Nations Interim Accord in1995. Under the agreement, Macedonia changed its flag and its constitution, and both countries committed to continuing negotiations on the ‘name’ issue under UN auspices.

For its part, Greece pledged that it would not stop Skopje from entering any international institutions as long as it is done under the provisional reference "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" as stated in paragraph 2 of the United Nations Security Council resolution 817.

However, in April, Greece practically vetoed Macedonia’s invitation to join NATO at the alliance’s summit in Bucharest. It argued that Skopje’s use of the name Macedonia might lead it to make territorial claims over the Greek province of the same name.

Macedonia is now arguing that Greece broke that part of the accord when it objected to Skopje’s NATO invitation.

Skopje asks from the International Court of Justice to determine whether or not Greece through its state organs and acclaimed representatives has broken its obligation as stated in article 11 paragraph 1 of the Interim Accord that it would not block Skopje’s membership of international institutions if it applies using its provisional name.

In addition Skopje asks the court to order Greece to do all the necessary steps to fulfill its obligations form the accord.

“We are convinced that the International Court of Justice will help us solve this legal dispute. We are not asking the court to settle this political matter therefore the name dispute is not the matter of our application. We stay fully committed to all aspects of the Interim Accord, especially the negotiation process with Greece mediated by the UN special representative,” Milososki said in a statement.

“It is a good and legitimate move that Skopje has taken when Greece has radicalised its position. Greece has obviously broken all its promises. This has led Macedonia to seek alternatives to the UN ‘name’ talks,” political analyst Nenad Markovic told Balkan Insight.

If the court rules in Macedonia’s favor it would give the country a considerable instrument for political pressure, Markovic says adding that this could increase international pressure on Greece.

Yet President Branko Crvenkovski said he had not been consulted about the move and said that with this act "the Prime Minister (Nikola Gruevski) and his government are completely taking over the responsibility for the UN talks as well as for our European Union and NATO integration.”

Separately speaking to local Sitel Television, the spokesman for the Greek Foreign Ministry, Iorgos Koumoutsakos claimed “we knew that this happen beforehand” adding it was yet too early to comment on the move.

It remains unclear whether it will halt the ongoing negotiations between Greece and Macedonia in New York.

A ruling by the court could take around three years.

The rulings of the court are “final and binding” the International Court of Justice information officer, Boris Heim, told local Kanal 5 Television.

However Heim stated that the country’s decision on whether to comply with the court's rulings or not is a political question. ”We don’t do political questions,” he added.