From: jdd1@cec1.wustl.edu (James Dimos Dimarogonas)
Subject: Re: Independent Slavo-Macedonia
Organization: Washington University, St. Louis Mo.
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 19:29:29 GMT

In article <MACRAKIS.92Aug19132750@next4.osf.org> macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis) writes:
>Dear fellow Greek netters,
>
>Claiming that the Slavo-Macedonians do not constitute a distinct
>ethnic group leads us to the question of what ethnic group they are,
>in fact.  All the historical, cultural, and linguistic evidence
>basically says that _to the extent_ they are not a distinct group,
>they are Bulgarians.
>
>Now, do you really want to see Slavo-Macedonia uniting with Bulgaria?
>Wouldn't this be more uncomfortable for Greece than an independent
>Slavo-Macedonia?

Whether they are Bulgarians or not is irrelevant. If they have a distinct
sense of nationality, they can form a country. It is not of any significance
whether you call them a Bulgarian subgroup, or people from mars. As for
what would be more uncomfortable for greece is what would cause more
instability in the area. Personally I don't care if they unite with
bulgaria or finland for that matter.
>
>It seem to me that it is in Greece's interest to have an independent,
>peaceful, and prosperous Slavo-Macedonia on its northern border.  Of
>course, there need to be clear treaties about borders.  As for the
>small number of Slavs in Northern Greece, I see nothing wrong with
>Slavo-Macedonia keeping in contact with them, just as Greece's
>consular corps keeps in contact with Greek emigrants abroad and
>Israel's consular corps keeps in contact with Jews abroad (even if
>they've never been to Israel).  If any Greek thinks this is a threat,
>perhaps there is a larger Slavic population in Northern Greece than I
>thought, and some better solution needs to be found for them.  If
>there is not a large Slavic population there, what's the problem?
>
>	-s
I think it was the economist world report that calculated the slavs in
Greece to 1.5% of the population, this was I think in 1984.  Unfortunately
I don't have it any more.  But even these do not wish to part from Greece,
or so it seems, since the only protestors arrested for the macedonian
issue were greeks. They have never formed a party like the turks did,
there have never been any reports or complaints by them to international
agencies, actually the world, and greece as well, discovered their
existence after the fall of Yugoslavia. They probably are mostly
bilingual slavs with Greek national conciousness, I personally have never
met any, even though I have traveled extensively in the north. So the 
problem is not the slavic population.  Is the fact that it should not
be possible to use it as an excuse for aggression. And the fact that
the republic of Skopje is small is irrelevant. It always was but 
Yugoslavia wasn't. You never know what the future holds or what
strange alliances could be formed, with what we have seen the past few
years, anything is possible. As for their right to look after citizents
of theirs abroad, that is of course an undeniable right.  The Greek
objection is labeling the greek slavs as "macedonians". First of all
most of them probably don't want it.  And secondly, even if the "macedonian"
nationality was formed before Tito, that does not mean that all the
slavs everywhere are macedonians, just because Skopje says so.  They
will have to find Greek slavs that want to be called "macedonians"
first. If that happens, then it is a different story.  And of course
finding one person, like they allready have and they are parading him
is not enough. And it is interesting that even though they have tryed,
that was the best they could do. 

Regards

James Dimarogonas
Xref: sparky soc.culture.yugoslavia:8111 soc.culture.greek:7739 soc.culture.europe:7513 eunet.politics:1081 soc.culture.australian:3964