Athens accuses Skopje over Macedonia name row

(ATHENS) - Athens on Thursday accused Skopje of blocking a solution to the two countries' 19-year dispute over the name Macedonia, on the eve of a visit by a UN mediator.

Greek foreign ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras said the Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski was "choosing the non-solution, apathy" despite the Skopje government being in a strong position to reach a deal.

"Greece has said and shown that it wants a solution," to the row, Delavekouras said at a press briefing.

Matthew Nimetz, the UN's chief mediator in the dispute, is due in Athens for talks on Friday, and expressed hope that an agreement could soon be reached after meeting the Macedonian prime minister in Skopje on Wednesday.

Delavekouras said Tuesday Greece was in favour of Macedonia's name including a "geographical determinant," In the past Greek media have suggested "Northern Macedonia" as a possibility.

Athens considers the name Macedonia to be part of its heritage because of the northern Greek province of the same name.

Greece has blocked international recognition of its northern neighbour under the name of Macedonia since it became an independent nation in the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991.

Macedonia joined the United Nations in 1993 under the provisional name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), but the name dispute has stalled its efforts to join the European Union.

Athens has insisted the row be resolved before it agrees to the start of Macedonia's EU accession talks, which requires unanimous support from all EU members.