From: ls1@cec1.wustl.edu (Lambros Skartsis)
Subject: Errors (?) in the greek approach in the Macedonian issue. 
Organization: Washington University, St. Louis MO
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 20:53:06 GMT

Going back to the net after quite some time I saw an all-new discussion
going on about Macedonian recognition, etc. With this chance I just want
to express some thoughts, especially refering to what I think are errors
in the greek policy on this issue.
As briefly as I can, I want to stress a few points:

- The vast majority of the world knows NOTHING  about the Macedonian
  issue. See also lots of postings (e.g., the one I cite below in the P.S.).
- Practically NOBODY is gonna go to the library and read about the
  problem...
- The vast majority of those who learn about the issue have heard , or are
  going to hear (or read) [source being usually their local
  news!]  one or two sentences MAXIMUM. This
  couple of sentences contains the efforts of one or the other party to inform
  the world about their version of an EXTREMELY COMPLICATED LONG STANDING
  DISPUTE in the Balkans.  
- The way one or the other party expresses the problem can make its claim 
  sound rational, justified, right, wrong, ridiculous, etc.

* To go right to the point:
 The efforts of the greek government and others have lead the majority      
 of those who heard about the issue believe that it is only an issue of a   
 name-copyright!!! A typical posting is cited at the end of 
  this article (see P.S.).           

 Of course, the issue is that a nation (Slav macedonians) has been created
 from - previously!- Bulgarian population and tought to believe that parts
 of "their" land are under occupation from Greece (and Bulgaria) - let's
 leave the history stuff 
 (that facilitated this belief) aside for a little while.
 [Well, I know guys I am not gonna convince you here nor was I hoping
  to. I would only hope that you would go and read a little bit before
  arguing].
 Whether, of course, they (i.e., the Slavomacedonians)
 shout or whisper about "liberating" this part
 - or wait for a better time to raise the issue again - is another matter.
 The important thing is what they believe. Of course, this cannot be
 easily changed.

* Why the noise about the name then?
 Well, by using the name "Macedonia" they have for the last 50 years
 created a hell of a confusion to the world and already might have
 convinced many - or made many suspect that they are right - about
 their claim. That was the whole idea about the employment of the
 name "Macedonia" anyway. Think how well, also, the term "Macedonian
 minority" in the greek province of Macedonia works for this purpose.
 Now, with the above nation being an independent state this method
 would be much more efficient.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY THEIR ADVERTISEMENT IN NEW YORK TIMES 
OF FRIDAY, JAN. 15. 

* Where do I think the greek government is wrong?
In asking them to completely change their name. I would pursue a 
simple modification of the name. Something like "Slavomacedonia",
"New Macedonia", "Vardaromacedonia", etc. [This is something many
greeks would agree on and has unofficially been suggested at times
even by the greek government which is, nonetheless,
 a victim of its own - and the opposition's -
cheap populist-screwed-up-policies]. Of course, the claim to
completely change the name may have been a (wrong!) card for pursuing
a powerful modification of the name.

A proper modification would clarify the already existing confusion
and help avoid further... At the same time it wouldn't sound like
a "romantic claim for a name copyright" - which it never was and
this should be obvious to anybody with minimal knowledge and/or
common sense.

L. Skartsis

P.S. I cite below an example of the impression that the official
     greek approach to the whole issue
     typically creates to an uninformed (the vast majority)
     third-party audience.

to the question of a greek:
>
>>  Why Greeks are not objecting on the use of the name Athens in several cities
>>  in the U.S.?
 
 a typical third-party netter answers:
>
>Probably because Greece can't force the US to change by blockading it
>and starving it in an attempt to get the US to change the names of
>those cities.  And well the Greeks shouldn't be protesting the use of
>the name Athens for some American cities.  Just like they shouldn't be
>protesting the use of the name 'Macedonia', which is not exclusively
>theirs to use.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Xref: sparky soc.culture.greek:12470 soc.culture.turkish:14884