The visiting Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor offered to his host in Skopje, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Slovenia's assistance in efforts to solve the dispute between Greece and Macedonia over the latter's name, the Slovenian Television reported on Sunday evening, citing unofficial sources.
Greece has turned down a proposal that the issue be solved by an arbitrationagreement like the one between Pahor and Croatia's Prime Minister JadrankaKosor on the Slovenian-Croatian border dispute.
Slovenia's success in a mediation between Macedonia and Greece could helpthat Alpine country to bolster its influence in the region, and the nextoccasion for considering Slovenia's proposal will be in March when Sloveniawill host a conference of leaders of the Western Balkans and the EuropeanUnion, the Slovenian Television reported.
At a news conference which he held with Gruevski in Skopje on Sunday, Pahorsaid this was a crucial period for Macedonia during which it shouldexpeditiously handle the dispute with Greece so that this former SocialistFederal Yugoslav republic could make progress on its road towards the EuropeanUnion and NATO.
Pahor said that during its entry into the European bloc his country had hadto accede to a compromise with Italy and that Croatia was now in the same shoesas its western neighbour.
Gruevski said Macedonia was willing to accept any form of assistance,recalling that the other party in the dispute, Greece, should also accept it.
