Macedonia Takes Greece To Court Over NATO

Greece said the lawsuit proved the former Yugoslav republic was not committed to resolving the name dispute through dialogue.

Macedonia filed a lawsuit against Greece on Monday before the International Court of Justice in The Hague accusing Athens of blocking its NATO membership, Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki said.

Macedonia had hoped to receive an invitation to join NATO earlier this year along with Albania and Croatia. NATO member Greece blocked the move because of a dispute over Macedonia's name, which is also the name of its northern province.

"We have thought this very thoroughly before initiating the case, but we don't see any other way to satisfy justice and protect our rights," Milososki said.

"We hope that this move will incite Greece to bring into accord its actions with the international legal obligations, and stimulate both sides to accomplish a final solution for the unsolved questions," he said.

Greece said the lawsuit proved the former Yugoslav republic was not committed to resolving the name dispute through dialogue.

"With this lawsuit, the Skopje government reconfirms yet again that it is not interested in the quick resolution of the name issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos said in a statement.

He said Greece would present its case in court but also remained committed to the U.N.-sponsored negotiations to find a mutually accepted name.

Macedonia says Greece has violated a 1995 agreement signed by the two countries, by which Macedonia agreed to use the provisional name "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" in international organisations while Greece pledged not to block Macedonia's integration into the European Union and NATO.

Greece objects to the name Macedonia, saying it implies a claim on its northern province.

Macedonia and Greece have been negotiating for 17 years under the auspices of the United Nations, but are far from a solution. Relations between the two nations have worsened since a NATO summit in April.

A U.N. mediator has proposed 'Northern Macedonia' as a compromise solution, but talks are tangled over related issues such as how outsiders should refer to the language and nationality of the people who live there.