FYROM parliament starts debate on name deal with Greece

The parliament of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on Tuesday started debating a law ratifying an agreement with neighboring Greece designed to end a decades-long dispute over the country’s name.

Lawmakers voted 69-40 to proceed with a bill to ratify the FYROM deal to rename the latter country North Macedonia. The ratification will next be debated at a committee level before a vote by parliament’s plenary session, expected on Friday.

Greece had long insisted on the name change, arguing that its northern neighbor’s name implies claims on a northern Greek province called Macedonia, and on ancient Greek heritage.

The former Yugoslav republic must change its constitution to formalize the deal.

Opposition parties and large sections of the population in both Greece and FYROM are against the agreement, arguing it offers too many concessions to the other country.

Several hundred people protested peacefully against the deal during Tuesday’s parliamentary debate in Skopje, shouting "traitors" and burning a copy of the agreement.

The conservative main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party walked out of the parliament debate in protest, and said they will boycott the ratification process later this week.

While the left-led government, which controls 65 of parliament’s 120 seats, should have little difficulty getting the bill approved, the country’s conservative president, Gjorge Ivanov, has said he will not sign off on the law. That would force a repeat of the ratification debate and vote, and if it is again approved then Ivanov would be unable to block it.

Last week’s agreement between the two countries’ prime ministers was signed Sunday. FYROM has to hold a referendum on the constitutional amendment, and Greeces parliament has to ratify the deal as well.

Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov said Tuesday that the deal must be ratified by the end of this month, to meet deadlines for the launching of FYROM’s NATO and EU membership process. [AP]