NEW YORK 4/4/2005 (ANA/P Panayiotou)
Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Valinakis held talks at the weekend with Matthew Nimetz, a UN special mediator, on finding a name for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) that is acceptable to both sides.
The two officials made no statement after the one-and-a-half hour meeting on Saturday at the Greek ambassador's residence in Manhattan.

According to diplomatic sources, Valinakis repeated the government's position that Greece is ready for a compromise solution that would aid ties with the neighboring country, contribute to peace in the region, and have a favorable impact on FYROM's endeavor to join the European Union and NATO.

Valinakis told Nimetz that Athens was seeking a solution as soon as possible, although FYROM's position of adopting two names was not open to discussion, UN sources said.

The statement was to pre-empt a possible proposal by Nimetz for a specific compromise solution in the near future, according to the same sources.
Both Nimetz and Washington were concerned about the lack of a positive response from FYROM, which had failed to put proposals on the negotiating table, a move that would have shown willingness for consensus, the sources said.

In addition, FYROM would find it even harder to implement its European and Euro-Atlantic objectives if a consensus-based solution could not be found; and this was understood in the European Union, they added.

Source: Athens News Agency

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