NATO chief wants Macedonia to join Alliance

22/04/2008

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer visited Skopje on Monday for a briefing by the government. Its highest-level officials stressed that Macedonia would remain in the negotiation process.

By Marina Stojanovska for Southeast European Times in Skopje -- 22/04/08

NATO head Jaap de Hoop Scheffer speaks to reporters in Skopje on Monday (April 21st). [Tomislav Georgiev]

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was in Skopje on Monday (April 21st) to meet with President Branko Crvenkovski, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki and Defence Minister Lazar Elenovski.

"My personal ambition is to see your country in NATO. I believe that Euro-Atlantic integration is a key for stability of this region," de Hoop Scheffer said during the meeting, nearly three weeks after the country failed to win an invitation to join the Alliance at the summit in Bucharest.

He says he wants to focus on resolving the name dispute between Macedonia and Greece -- the hurdle Skopje must overcome before joining NATO.

"You can do two things -- look back in anger or look forward. I would like that on July 9th, when Albania and Croatia sign the accession protocol with NATO, we have a third nation -- yours," de Hoop Scheffer told officials.

NATO does not have a direct role in the process, which the UN is monitoring. "I cannot be instrumental in that process, but I will help if I can," he added.

He expressed hope that the early parliamentary elections scheduled for June 1st would be free and fair and that the negotiations over the country's name would resume soon afterward.

Crvenkovski asked de Hoop Scheffer to convey to Brussels that Macedonia remains dedicated to becoming a full member of the Alliance as soon as possible, which he described as important to stability and the region. But the president also said that Macedonia is not willing to do it at the expense of possible destabilisation.

Crvenkovski also stressed that despite early elections, Macedonia would continue the negotiations on the name issue.

De Hoop Scheffer also met with Gruevski, who said that Macedonia would remain an active and constructive participant in negotiations, according to government spokesman Ivica Bocevski.

He added that the government, on the name issue, would draw clear lines on national identity and the integrity of Macedonia.