Macedonia urges name dispute to be settled with Greece

(SKOPJE) - Macedonia's parliament voted a resolution Monday calling for a "strategy" to solve an ongoing row with neighouring Greece over its name, which has harmed its attempts to join the Europan Union.

The resolution, adopted with 93 votes for and one against it, said the parliament, as well as top state officials, should establich in the shortest possible time a "unfied state strategy for solving the name dispute."

"It is necessary to protect the greatest state and national interests, to preserve the Macedonian people's identity, language, history and culture," the resolution said.

The strategy for solving the dispute with Greece over Skopje's right to the name "Macedonia" -- which it shares with a northern Greek region -- should be "agreed upon by all institutions (in Macedonia) with their joint stance in the negotiating process," the resolution said.

Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski called on parliament and state officials to jointly back the future strategy.

"Even if a solution, acceptable for Athens, is found, it would have to be put to a referendum for the people of our state to have a final say," Gruevski said.

Macedonia is an official EU candidate nation but one of the hurdles to beginning formal membership talks is its more than 17-year-long dispute with Greece.

After the collapse of Yugoslavia, Macedonia was recognised by the United Nations in 1993 under the name Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Negotiations on the name dispute under UN auspices have so far been fruitless.

Greece vetoed an invitation for Macedonia to join NATO in August over the dispute.