Background
On May 1, 2007 following a corrdinated effort by the Greek Embassy, the Chairman of the Subcommittee of Europe, Mr. Wexler, the ranking minority member of the Subcommittee, Mr. Gallegly and the Co-Chairman of the Hellenic Caucus, Mrs. Maloney and Mr. Bilirakis, submitted to the Committee of Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives H. Res. 356 on FYROM's actions. Despite U.N. agreements, FYROM has persisted in making claims upon Greek history and territory. Please contact your Congressional representatives to urge them to co-sponsor the Resolution. Following the resolution is a sample letter to send to your respresentatives, with contact information for reaching their offices.
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Resolution
110th Congress, 1st Session
In the House of Representatives
Resolution
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) should stop the utilization of materials that violate provisoins of the United Nations-brokered Interim Agreement between the FYROM and Greece regarding "hostile activities or propaganda" and should work with the United Nations and Greece to achieve longstanding United States and United Nations policy goals of finding a mutually-acceptable official name for the FYROM.
Whereas on April 8, 1993, the United Nations General Assembly admitted as a member of the Former Yugloslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), under the name the "Former Yugloslav Republic of Macedonia";
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 817 (1993) states that the dispute over the name must be resolved to maintain peaceful relations between Greece and the FYROM;
Whereas on September 13, 1995, Greece and the FYROM signed a United Nations-brokered Interim Accord that, among other things, commits them to not "support claims to any part of the territory of the other party or claims for a change of their existing frontiers";
Whereas a pre-eminent goal of the United Nations Interim Accord was to stop the FYROM from utilizing, since its admittance to the United Nations in 1993, what the Accord calls, "propaganda," including in school textbooks;
Whereas a television report in recent years showed students in a state-run school in the FYROM still being taught that parts of Greece, including Greek Macedonia, are rightfully part of the FYROM:
Whereas some textbooks, including the Military Academy textbook published in 2004 by the Military Academy "General Mihailo Apostolski" in the FYROM capital city, contain maps showing that a "Greater Macedonia" extends many miles south into Greece to Mount Olympus and miles east to Mount Pirin in Bulgaria;
Whereas in direct contradiction of the spirit of the United Nations Interim Accord's section "A," entitled "Friendly Relations and Confidence Building Measures," which attempts to eliminate challenges regarding "historic and cultural patrimony," the Government of FYROM recently renamed the capital city's international airport "Alexander the Great";
Whereas the aforementioned acts constitute a breach of the FYROM's international obligations deriving from the spirit of the United Naitons Interim Acord, which provides that FYROM should abstain from any form of "propaganda" against Greece's historical or cultural heritage;
Whereas such acts are not compatible with the Article 10 of the United Nations Interim Accord regarding "improving understanding and good neighborly relations," as well as with European standards and values endorsed by European Union member-states; and
Whereas this information, like that exposed in the media report and elsewhere, being used contrary to the United Nations Interim Accord instills hostility and a rationale for irredentism in portions of the populations of the FYROM toward Greece and the history of Greece: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
- urges the Former Yugoslave Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to observe its obligations under Article 7 of the 1995 United Nations-brokered Interim Accord which directs the parties to "promptly take effective measures to prohibit hostile activities or propaganda by state-controlled agencies and to discourage acts by private entities likely to incite violence, hated or hostility" and review the contents of textbooks, maps, and teaching aids to ensure that such tools are stating accurate information; and
- urges the FYROM to work within the framework of the United Nations process with Greece to achieve longstanding United States and United Nations policy goals by reacing a mutually-acceptable official name for the FYROM.
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Sample Letter for Congressional Representatives
Dear Representative __________________:
As your constituent, I respectfully urge you to support House Resolution 356, which involves America's historic friend and ally, Greece.
Elements from Skopje have long sought to provoke Greece by claiming the ancient history and culture of Macedonia. In 1992, Skopje escalated tensions with Greece by placing the ancient Macedonian Sun of Vergina on its flag. In 1995, the international community recognized the just grievances Greece put forth, as can be shown by the fact tha Skopje altered their flag and constitution which hid irridentist aspirations. Testimony to this, elements in Skopje have distributed maps that include the Greek province of Macedonia within its own borders, and they have similarly sought to rewrite history by claiming that Alexander the Great was one of them, despite the fact that the people of FYROM are Slavs, and that Slavs did not come into the region until the sixth century A.D.
As per UN Resolutions in 1993 the name of the country is "the Former Yugloslav Republic of Macedonia," or simply the FYROM, until a permanent name is agreed between this country and Greece.
Resolution 356 calls for effective measures to prohibit hostile acts or propaganda by the FYROM government-owned services and discourages misinformation of private institutions that can cause violence, hatred and animosity. Furthermore the content of books, maps and school aids of the FYROM education system should refrain from misleading its youth by perpetuation communist-Tito-inspired fictitious history.
The Hellenism of Macedonia is beyond historical scientific doubt. As a loyal ally of the United States in both World Wars, the Korean Conflict, and the Cold War, Greece deserves the support of the United States. The passing of Resolution 356 by the House of Representatives would go a long way in assuring the Greek-American community that Greece will be supported against the provocative claims being put forward by the fringe extremists in Skopje.
Supporting House Resolution 356 might disapoint the roughly 38,000 persons throughout the United States who unjustifiably claim a Macedonian ethnicity: (2000 U.S. Census Bureau http://www.euroamericans.net/macedonian.htm ), but will be reaffirming justice to the 1.1 million or so Greek-Americans (see 2000 U.S. Census: http://www.euroamericans.net/greek.htm ) who are witnessing the most horrible revision, undermining, and outright theft of their history and heritage, as well as a potentially destabilizing threat in the broader region of their ancestral homeland, the Balkans.
By supporting House Resolution 356 you will help strengthen world peace.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue.
Sincerely,
____________________________________
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How to Contact Your Representatives
1. Via E-mail by visiting http://www.house.gov/writerep/ Enter your state and zip code. Fill out the electronic form of your name and address. Write and submit your message or letter.
2. Via Phone. The US Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121. Ask to be connected to your representative's office. Ask to speak to the staff person responsible for international relations issues.
3. Via Fax. Visit http://www.house.gov/Welcome.html and enter your zip code. Click on the link to your representative’s web site. Locate the “Contact” or “Constituent Services” button on your representative’s Web site to find the fax number for your representative’s office.
4. Via standard U.S. mail--see your representative's website at above URL's. Because this method may require a much longer delivery time for security reasons, we recommend instead email or fax. (See above.)
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For additional information on this issue, read also:
FYROM Must Join Greece in Name Compromise: No Historical Basis for "Republic of Macedonia" (by Dr. Dean Lomis)
Storm Brews Over FYROM Name Issue (by George Gilson, of the Athens News)
What's In a Name: Macedonia's Unresolved Title Has Been an Obstacle to Balkan Stability (by U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen)
National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes to Send Letters to Congress and Sec'y of State about Republic of Macedonia Name
What's In a Name (by Bill Gatzoulis)
Greek-American Groups Lobby, Educate About Macedonia (by Mary Papoutsy)
Has the U.S. State Department Capitulated to Communist Propaganda? (Editorial by Christos and Mary Papoutsy)
The Others Are From the Balkans (Book Review by Dino Siotis)
Claiming Macedonia: The Struggle for the Heritage, Territory, and Name of the Historic Hellenic Land, 1862-2004 (Book Review by Dr. James Dimitriou)
U.S. State Department Says It Does Not Recognize a 'Macedonian' Language or Ethnicity
AHEPA Urges Pres. Bush to Take Stronger Stance with FYROM
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Useful Websites
Pan-Macedonian Association USA, Inc. ( http://www.panmacedonian.info/ )
Macedonia on the Web ( http://www.macedoniaontheweb.com/ )
Macedonia Information Center ( http://www.macedonia.info/ )
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