Grecia/Macedonia.- Grecia y Macedonia se reúnen en enero para resolver la disputa por el nombre de la segunda

ATENAS 5 Dic. (EP/AP) -

Los ministros de Exteriores de Grecia y Macedonia se reunirán en enero en la capital macedonia, Skopje, para acabar con la disputa entre los dos países vecinos sobre el nombre de Macedonia que podría afectar a los esfuerzos del país por unirse a la OTAN, según informó el enviado especial de la ONU Matthew Nimetz, quien confirmó que después de Skopje se volverán a reunir en Atenas.

La disputa comenzó después de que la Antigua República Yugoslava de Macedonia consiguiera su independencia en 1991 y Grecia considerara que el nombre de su vecino podría insinuar reivindicaciones territoriales sobre su región del norte del país. Atenas ha amenazado con bloquear la entrada de Macedonia en la OTAN mientras que no se resuelva la disputa por el nombre.

"Creo que todo el mundo reconoce (...) que la estabilidad y cooperación en la región son muy importantes y no pueden ser alcanzadas si este tema no se resuelve primero", señaló Nimetz tras reunirse con la ministra de Exteriores griega, Dora Bakoyannis. "En la próxima reunión trataremos profundamente este tema", continuó. "Creo que éste es un problema que tiene solución (...) Algunos asuntos internacionales no la tienen, pero éste es uno que clama solución", añadió.

"Nuestro Gobierno ha enviado un mensaje claro al otro lado. Esperamos que Skopje abandone su típica posición de intransigencia y se mueva hacia posiciones más constructivas en las próximas conversaciones", según especificó la ministra Bakoyannis.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) _ Greece and Macedonia will resume direct talks in January over a name dispute between the two Balkan neighbors that could hurt Macedonia's efforts to join NATO.

U.N. special envoy Matthew Nimetz said on Wednesday that Foreign Ministry negotiators from the two countries would meet in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, in January and that a second meeting in Athens was expected shortly afterward.

"I think everyone recognizes ... that stability in the region and cooperation is extremely important and can't be achieved without this issue being resolved," Nimetz said after talks with Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis. "The next meeting we'll have will go into depth on the issue."

"I believe this is a solvable problem ... some international issues cannot be solved. But this is one that cries out for a solution," he said.

The dispute broke out after the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia gained independence in 1991. Greece says its neighbor's name could imply territorial claims against its own northern region of Macedonia.

Athens has threatened block Macedonia's entry into NATO unless the name issue is resolved.

"Our government has sent a very clear message to the other side. We hope that Skopje will abandon its basic position of intransigence and will come to these upcoming talks with constructive positions," Bakoyannis said.

Croatia, Albania and Macedonia are all hoping to receive invitations to join the alliance at a NATO summit in April in the Romanian capital, Bucharest.

Nimetz, who visited Macedonia this week, said he had spoken to the United States and several European governments about the dispute and that there was a "heightened interest" in finding a solution.

Nimetz and Greek officials have refused to give any details on proposals being considered.

"We did talk about ideas about names," he said. "If the dispute is about the name, then you've got to talk about the name, right?" 051140 dec 07GMT