VZCZCXRO7667
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSQ #0048/01 0221110
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221110Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6919
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0158
RUEHIK/AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI 0067
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2172
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000048 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EUR/SCE, IO/UNP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV NATO GR MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA OFFERS EXPANDED CBM'S TO GREECE ON NAME 
DISPUTE 
 
REF: A. SKOPJE 21 & PREVIOUS 
     ¶B. EMBASSY FAX TO EUR/SCE 1/22/07 
     ¶C. SKOPJE 32 
 
SKOPJE 00000048  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
SUMMARY 
 
¶1. (SBU) During bilateral talks on the name issue in Ohrid 
January 21, Macedonia offered Greece an expanded set of 
confidence-building measures (CBMs), including a joint 
committee to review and update historical textbooks; proposed 
high-level and working-level meetings and agreements on a 
range of issues, including double taxation, science and 
technology, and cross-border cooperation; and a "joint 
declaration of friendship and good-neighborliness," in which 
both sides would reaffirm their commitment to the 1995 
Interim Accord and Macedonia would reiterate its earlier 
renunciation of territorial claims and support for Greece's 
territorial integrity.  The Greek side has not yet officially 
responded to the offer, but its public reaction has not been 
encouraging.  We view the Macedonian offer as a constructive 
move to improve the bilateral atmosphere by demonstrating 
practical goodwill. Macedonia also hopes to gain greater 
tactical flexibility in the name talks with Greece as the 
NATO summit in Bucharest approaches. End summary. 
 
OFFER OF EXPANDED CBM'S IN THE CONTEXT OF NAME TALKS 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) FM Milososki briefed selected ambassadors (U.S., UK, 
Netherlands, Spain, France, Slovenia) and an EUSR 
representative January 21 on Macedonia's proposal to Greece 
to expand confidence-building measures in the context of the 
name dispute.  Noting that the proposal had been presented to 
Greece's name negotiator during the bilateral meeting taking 
place the same day in Ohrid under the auspices of UN Special 
Negotiator Nimetz (ref A), Milososki briefly ran through the 
highlights of the three-part proposal, which was provided to 
each ambassador as a non-paper (ref B).  Milososki 
underscored that the proposal had not yet been commented on 
by the Greek side, but said Nimetz would brief PM Gruevski 
and President Crvenkovski the evening of January 21 on any 
progress in the name discussions in Ohrid, and Milososki 
expected the Greek side to have reacted to the CBM proposals 
by then.  Local press on January 22 reported that Greek 
negotiator Vassilakis, responding to the CBM proposal, had 
hewn to the Athens line of insisting on progress on the name 
dispute before tackling CBMs.  Local press also reported that 
Nimetz was satisfied with the outcome of the Ohrid round of 
talks, characterizing it as "one of the best so far." 
 
JOINT COMMITTEE TO REVIEW & UPDATE HISTORICAL TEXTS 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶3. (U) The proposal envisions setting up a Greek-Macedonian 
Joint Committee on Education and History, comprised of 
academics and history teachers, to review primary and 
secondary education history textbooks in use, as well as 
texts used in the military academies of both countries.  A 
representative appointed by Ambassador Nimetz, as well as one 
from the Thessaloniki-based NGO Center for Democracy and 
Reconciliation in Southeast Europe, would observe the 
proceedings. 
 
¶4. (U) The Ministers of Education of both countries would 
convene a conference to discuss the Joint Committee's 
recommendations, after which the two sides would produce a 
joint report.  Upon endorsing the joint report, the Greek and 
Macedonian governments would call upon relevant educational 
institutions to update the textbooks and incorporate 
curriculum materials based on the joint report. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment: This proposal would respond to perennial 
Greek complaints, which we have never been able to confirm, 
that Macedonian textbooks promote an irredentist agenda.  Our 
own reviews of Macedonian textbooks, including those cited in 
Greek complaints, have uncovered no evidence of irredentist 
texts or illustrations, either in primary or high school 
material, or in military academy texts. End comment. 
 
 
SKOPJE 00000048  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
FRAMEWORK PROPOSAL FOR ADVANCING BILATERAL RELATIONS 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The second part of the proposal consists of a 
two-stage "framework" for advancing bilateral relations.  In 
stage one, to be conducted between January and April 2008, 
the two sides would adopt a "Declaration of Friendship, Good 
Neighborliness, and Cooperation;" sign a Double Taxation 
Avoidance Treaty, the text of which already has been 
coordinated, according to the MFA; and open an additional 
border crossing to further facilitate trade and tourism. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Stage two of the "framework" would consist of 
additional activities "to be realized in the course of the 
year."  Those would include bilateral presidential and prime 
ministerial summits once every two years, foreign ministerial 
bilats annually, and annual meetings of the presidents of 
parliament and the respective foreign affairs committee 
members.  In addition, the two sides would agree on 
additional ministerial and sub-ministerial level meetings 
across a range of issues, including justice, environment, and 
tourism.  They also would aim to conclude agreements on local 
border traffic, science and technology exchanges, health, and 
other issues.  To further promote regional cooperation, the 
"framework" includes a proposal for annual trilateral 
meetings of the MFAs of Macedonia, Greece, and Albania. 
 
MACEDONIA REITERATES "NO TERRITORIAL CLAIMS" 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The key substantive innovation in the package of 
CBM's is a proposed "Declaration of Friendship, 
Good-Neighborliness, and Cooperation Between the Hellenic 
Republic and Macedonia" (details of which leaked to the press 
shortly after the Foreign Minister's briefing.)  In addition 
to both sides reaffirming their intent to abide by the terms 
of the 1995 Interim Accord, Macedonia would reiterate its 
earlier pledge, enshrined in its Constitution, that "it does 
not have and will never have any claims to any territory 
outside its internationally-recognized borders and in this 
context fully supports the territorial integrity of the 
Hellenic Republic."  The Declaration also would incorporate 
references to the activities envisioned under the "framework 
proposal for advancing bilateral relations," as described 
above.  In addition, it would mandate the setting up of a 
joint Greece-Macedonia fund, which would be used to finance 
projects of mutual interest, including in the fields of youth 
development, cross-border cooperation, and science and 
technological development. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Despite Greek resistance to discussing CBMs in the 
absence of progress on the substance of the name dispute, the 
Macedonian side is pressing ahead with this three-part 
initiative to attempt to improve the bilateral atmosphere, as 
well as to offset perceptions that its adherence to the "dual 
name" proposal on the name (ref A) is the cause for the 
current inertia in the name discussions.  The GOM initiative, 
which contains several constructive proposals, is designed to 
give the Macedonians more substance for negotiating with the 
Greeks,, and thus more flexibility.  It also is designed to 
demonstrate goodwill toward its southern neighbor in the 
lead-up to the NATO summit in April, when Macedonia hopes to 
avoid a potential Greek veto of a prospective NATO membership 
invitation if the two sides are unable to resolve the name 
issue by then (ref C). 
MILOVANOVIC