[ALBSA-Info] Greece protests to Macedonia over flag incidents

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

Greece protests to Macedonia over flag incidents

  
ATHENS, July 9 (Reuters) - Greece said on Monday it had protested to 
Macedonia over the repeated removal of its flag from a Greek press office in 
Skopje and asked for police measures. 

"We are asking the neighbouring country to take some security measures 
because it appears that our press office there is a target due to its 
prominent location," government spokesman Dimitris Reppas told reporters. 

On Saturday night, unknown culprits removed the Greek flag from the press 
office, located in a central Skopje square away from the main Greek 
diplomatic mission building, he said. 

"It was the fifth time that extreme elements have committed such an act," 
Reppas said. 

Greek officials blamed the attacks on rising Macedonian nationalism since an 
ethnic Albanian uprising flared in the small Balkan state in recent months. 

Greece and Macedonia have diplomatic representations, not full-fledged 
embassies, in each other's capitals pending final resolution of a dispute 
over the former Yugoslav republic's name. 

Athens has long objected to the use of the name Macedonia by its northern 
neighbour, saying it implied a territorial threat to its own northern region 
with the same name. 

The two Balkan states are cooperating under an interim agreement allowing 
trade and other relations until the name issue is permanently settled at the 
United Nations.