‘American Motivated’ Critical Referendum in Macedonia
The ‘autonomous government’ reform, passed in parliament by the coalition government in office last August, is crucial to bring into force the Ohrid Framework Agreement signed in August 2001 after six-months of clashes between Albanian guerillas and Macedonian security forces. There are warnings that a possible ‘no’ vote in the referendum could frustrate hopes for membership of the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and restart ethnic clashes.
Despite severe objections from Greece, the United States has announced that it recognizes this small Balkan country, population 2.1 million, under the constitutional name of "Republic of Macedonia", which delighted the government before the referendum and has stirred up nationalist feeling in the country. US officials have indicated that the decision, saluted by Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski as a "Big day for Macedonia," was oriented to today’s referendum. A top level US official said that they were rewarding Skopje for implementing the obligations of the Ohrid Agreement and continued: "To support the Macedonian government in its direction, it is best to do this before a referendum which could obstruct this direction." Former Macedonian Foreign Minister Alexander Dimitrov noted that America’s decision aims to influence the referendum. The first effects of this were seen in the headlines "Thank you America" in the Macedonian media and a celebration demonstration was held in front of the US Embassy in Skopje. Ethnic Albanian parties also greeted the decision positively and indicated that this adds motivation for adopting the reforms, which envisage giving more rights to the Albanian minority.
Macedonians interpreted the decision, ending 13 years of preventative measures by Greece, as a step to rescue the country from its second-class status. Greece had insisted Macedonia should keep the name "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (FYROM) as a region in northeast of Greece is also known as Macedonia. The Skopje administration had be registered to the United Nations (UN) in 1993 with the name approved by Athens. After the US decision, Greece has threatened Skopje with a possible veto in its EU and NATO candidacies.
