[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Pages 22892-22893]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 300--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE 
     FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA (FYROM) SHOULD STOP THE 
UTILIZATION OF MATERIALS THAT VIOLATE PROVISIONS OF THE UNITED NATIONS-
BROKERED INTERIM AGREEMENT BETWEEN 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 FYROM

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Ms. Snowe and Mr. Obama) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations:

                              S. Res. 300

       Whereas, on April 8, 1993, the United Nations General 
     Assembly admitted as a member the Former Yugoslav Republic of 
     Macedonia (FYROM), under the name the ``Former Yugoslav 
     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 FYROM;
       Whereas, on September 13, 1995, Greece and 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 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 FYROM still being taught that parts 
     of Greece, including Greek Macedonia, are rightfully part of 
     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 Airport'';
       Whereas the aforementioned acts constitute a breach of 
     FYROM's international obligations deriving from the spirit of 
     the United Nations Interim Accord, which provide that FYROM 
     should abstain from any form of ``propaganda'' against 
     Greece's historical or cultural heritage;
       Whereas such acts are not compatible with Article 10 of the 
     United Nations Interim Accord, which calls for ``improving 
     understanding and good neighbourly 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 population of FYROM toward 
     Greece and the history of Greece: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) urges the Former Yugoslav 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, hatred or hostility'' and review the contents of 
     textbooks, maps, and teaching aids to ensure that such tools 
     are stating accurate information; and
       (2) urges FYROM to work with Greece within the framework of 
     the United Nations

[[Page 22893]]

     process to achieve longstanding United States and United 
     Nations policy goals by reaching a mutually-acceptable 
     official name for FYROM.

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