From: sk@groo.sunbim.be (Sasa Konecni)
Subject: Re: EDUCATION SPECIAL: MAP OF THE WORLD
Reply-To: sk@sunbim.be ()
Organization: BIM Everberg Belgium
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 19:53:29 GMT

in article <3012.3248.uupcb@factory.com> on 16 Aug 92 00:02:00 GMT
michael.polymenakos@factory.com (Michael Polymenakos) writes:


>kontlm@eua.ericsson.se (Tomas Lundstrom) writes:
>>Just trying to get the facts right. About this issue of "Macedonia"
>>I have not enough knowledge to have an opinion.
>>(However, from Swedish school history lectures I seem to have gotten the
>>impression that "Macedonia" is something "greekish", rather than "slavish".


Every country on the Balkan has its own definition for Macedonia. This
definitions are different from each other. But this does not mean that
they are all wrong. Things are not black and white as people 
want to believe they are. This situation is not unique on the Balkan.
For example Luxembourgh. There is a state Luxembourgh, but also in
Belgium a province exist with the same name. The Belgium people can
live whith this and do not want to kill all the Luxebourg people
because of the Name. Similar situation exist between Belgium and
Netherland. The province Brabant exists in Belgium and in Netherland.
Great Britain for example. France has a province with the same name.
If the Greeks can not accept the reality, and react in such agresive
manner it only shows the level of the democracy in Greece. 

 michael>    What is the Greek objection to the word "Macedonia"?
 michael> First, it could still be used to advance claims to
 michael> Greek territory.

For Macedonia the borders are fixed and can not be changed.

 michael>  Let me close by making one thing clear: GREECE HAS NO
 michael>  TERRITORIAL CLAIMS AGAINST SKOPJIE.

Nobody ever said something about this before you mentioned it.
We have a saing: "Who has a fly on his hat is trying to 
chase it away". 

 michael> Let's not forget that the current
 michael> leaders of Skopjie are the same old hard-line
 michael> communists that ruled the place under Tito's
 michael> dictatorship. They created this mess to begin with.

You forget one thing: The present government of Macedonia is
democraticaly elected.  I hope that Greece is not coming to help
the Macedonians, elect a new government for them, and try to
solve the mess.  Greece should worry about it's own bad economy.
Blaming the North Neighbors and raising 
nationalistic feelings against Macedonians will not help Greece
to solve it's economic problems, and mess it created by moving in
1920's 2 million people from Asia into North Greece, and deporting
the original population which is Slavic by origin. Or maybe
Greece is following the example of the big friend Serbia?

  michael>    Second, there are economic and cultural issues
  michael> involved. Why am I not allowed to sell the software
  michael> that I write under the name "Microsoft" or "IBM"?
  michael> Because these names are properties of the respective
  michael> companies. If I sell substandard stuff using their
  michael> name, their reputation will be hurt.

There is one small thing you forget hier Michael. Let me
remind you, people are not "IBM machines" or "Microsoft"
sotware. People have feelings,
national identity and ethnicity. When one group of people 
feel Macedonian, than I believe it is enough for them to be
called Macedonians. It is agains the human rights to take
ethnic identity from people.

  michael> Let's just pray for peace.

Sasa.

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