NATO REFERENDUM BATTLE HEATS UP

NATO REFERENDUM BATTLE HEATS UP- World Macedonia Congress leader Todor Petrov returns fire at “Brussels racism”

by Sasha Uzunov, Skopje, Macedonia
Saturday 11 August 2018

Mr Todor Petrov, the President of the World Macedonian Congress, an internationally based lobby group, has condemned what he says is the European Union’s “racist” attacks against opponents of the NATO referendum in Macedonia scheduled for the end of September this year.

The referendum seeks to change Macedonia’s name by approving the controversial Prespa Agreement, which many Macedonians see as an attempt to erase Macedonian identity in order to satisfy Greek nationalist demands and remove Greek veto over Macedonia’s application to join NATO and the European Union. see link here on Prespa Agreement.

Mr Petrov was speaking at the WMC’s annual general meeting in Skopje. The WMC has called for a boycott of the controversial referendum.

The WMC President also fired a broadside at US Ambassador Jess Baily, urging the US State Department recall him from Macedonia, over concerns he was interfering in Macedonia in order to push through name change.

Mr Petrov called upon the Albanian community in Macedonia to boycott the referendum, reminding it of the support that Macedonia gave in taking in Kosovar Albanian refugees from the 1999 NATO war and the granting of over 150,000 citizenships.

In very strong language, the WMC President condemned the Bulgarian good neighbourly agreement, the Prespa Agreement and the NATO referendum:

“The agreement Zaev-Borisov [Bulgarian good neighbourly agreement - see link] dated August 1, 2017, the Dimitrov-Kotzias [Prespa] Agreement of 17 June 2018 and the Decision for announcing a referendum on September 30, 2018 adopted at the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia on 30 July 2018 for the purpose of changing the name and identity we consider null and void and high treason against the state and the nation!”

The WMC has issued a legal challenge against the validity of the referendum, passed by the Macedonian parliament, in Macedonia’s High Court citing what it says is its unconstitutional character.

“The Prime Minister [Zoran Zaev], the Ministers and the Members of the Parliament (Assembly) committed a wrong application of the law, ie they called for a referendum for consultations that, according to the Law on Referenda, are not compulsory, based on Article 73 paragraph 1 of the Constitution, instead of Article 120 of the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia.

...for issues of border change and membership in alliances of states such as the EU and NATO, the decision is passed by the Parliament with a two-thirds majority (80) of the total number of Representatives (120), but the decision comes into force if in a referendum a majority (900,000) of the total number of registered voters (1,800,000) votes in favour, which is an impossible mission in these conditions.”

----

TEAM UZUNOV Question put to Mr Petrov in Macedonian - :

-Gospodin Petrov, se vodi edna gnasna racisticka kampanja protiv tebe licno i protiv Pretsedatelot na Republika Makedonija [Gjorge Ivanov] od strana na srpskiot novinar Borjan Jovanovski. Evropskata Zaednica [Unija] namerno kjuti. Zosto?

Question: Mr Petrov, there is a foul racist campaign aimed against you personally, and against the President of the Republic of Macedonia [George Ivanov] by Serbian journalist Borjan Jovanovski  Why is the European Union deliberately silent?

-Odgovor od Todor Petrov: “Ocigledno vo Evropskata Unija vazat dvojni-standardi. Tokmu poradi toa pristapuvame zaradi prava, sloboda i pravda. Ni se oskratuva ostanatoto pravo na postojenje, samo  opredeluvanje, samo identifikacija. I zatoa za ocekuvanje Se ovie racisticki napadi, pritisoci - ne od narodite / drzavljanite na zemjite clenki na Evropskata Unija tuku od Briselskata burokratija."

Answer from Todor Petrov: “ Obviously, double standards apply in the European Union and because of that we aim for rights, freedom and justice.

"Our remaining rights to exist, to self determination and self identification have been infringed. So it's to be expected these racist attacks and pressuring but it's not from the
people or citizens of European Union member states.

“It’s coming from the Brussels bureaucrat (EU headquarters].”

Todor Petrov statement 

Mr Jovanovski, a Serb in Macedonia who says he is pro NATO and EU, has focused his attacks exclusively on native ethnic Macedonians and has gone the public record as refusing to protest against Serbian nationalism, and Serb politicians, which has left him open to charges of racism against Macedonians. He has waged a personal vendetta against Macedonia’s President George Ivanov - both with protests and with nasty comments on social media.

Below the vile comment about chemical cleaning - fumigation - of the President’s office:

Jovanovski’s behaviour is at loggerheads with mainstream Serb leaders in Macedonia, such as Ivan Stoijlkovic, who have thrown their support behind boycotting the NATO referendum. (see below)

- MORE TO FOLLOW

MACEDONIA’S DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER DENIES PRESIDENCY BID

Andrej Zernovski second from right. Photo source: MIA

by Sasha Uzunov
Skopje, Macedonia

Macedonia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrej Zernovski has denied he discussed with US officials becoming a candidate in next year’s presidential election in Macedonia.

Mr Zernovski was in the US a fortnight ago on an official visit and met with some key US government officials, US Congressmen as well as Damon Wilson Vice President of the very influential strategic think tank, the Atlantic Council. see link here

“During my visit to Washington,” Mr Zernovski said, “and in the meetings I had there were discussions about potential candidates for the presidential elections.”

His statement in Macedonian:

"Vo tekot na mojata poseta na Vasington, na nitu edna od ostvarenite sredbi ne stana zbor za potencijalni kandidati za pretsedatelskite izbori."

NATO REFERENDUM-BOYCOTT ALLIANCE FORMED

IVANOV UNDER PRESSURE AND RACIST ATTACKS - must withstand says Alliance coordinator Janko Bachev

by Sasha Uzunov
Skopje, Macedonia

An alliance of 28 political parties, NGOs and civic groups have signed an agreement to lead a boycott against a scheduled referendum on Macedonia changing its name in order to join NATO and the EU. see link here

The coordinator of the alliance is Mr Janko Bachev of the Edinstvena Makedonija (United Macedonia) party.


TEAM UZUNOV blog asked Mr Bachev after the signing:

TEAM UZNOV blog: There is enormous pressure being exerted by the US, EU and NATO on Macedonian President George Ivanov to buckle to change the Republic of Macedonia’s name

Simultaneously there is a nasty racist campaign against the President by various figures such as
Muhamed Zekiri [ethnic Albanian and Vice President of the ruling SDSM party] and Borjan Jovanovski [pro US Serb media pundit]. Can the President withstand all of this pressure?

JANKO BACHEV: We’re hopeful President Ivanov will focus solely on the state and national interests and will withstand whatever pressure is applied whether internal or external

And he wont repeat the episode when he granted a mandate for [Zoran] Zaev to form government and we’re all aware that he did so after American [Diplomat] Hoyt Yee had the night before talked the President into changing his mind about opposing Zaev

This time we have to send a strong appeal because this time its about Macedonians being wiped off the world map of nations

And this time we believe he will endure whatever the threats against him might be.

All of us who have entered this cause; who have strong wish and will to defend Macedonia, have to operate on one idea and that is all of us are ready to live, work and if necessary die for Macedonia.

Audio in Macedonian with English subtitles

related story- link  President Ivanov and the “incident” at Meckin Kamen, Ilinden commemoration

IVANOV & THE SECOND BATTLE OF MECKIN KAMEN

by Sasha Uzunov
Meckin Kamen, Krusevo,
and Skopje, Macedonia

On 2 August 1903, Macedonian rebels were heavily outnumbered and slaughtered by the Ottoman Turkish Army and its Albanian bashi-bazouk irregulars on the strategic hill known as Meckin Kamen overlooking the town of Krusevo - south west of Skopje, the present day capital - in what was to become known as the Ilinden Uprising (St Elijah’s Day) - an unsuccessful rebellion to free Macedonia from five centuries of Ottoman occupation.

Ilinden is regarded as the foundation of the modern Macedonian state. In 1912-13, Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria joined forces to evict the Ottomans out of Macedonia and then divided the country. The part under Serbian colonial rule eventually freed itself after World War II, becoming a constituent republic in Marshal Tito’s Federal Communist Yugoslavia. In 1991 it declared independence from Yugoslavia as the Republic of Macedonia. It has been the subject of a three decade campaign by Greece to change its name in order to gain EU and NATO entry.

The Macedonians lacked any heavy weapons during Battle for Meckin Kamen and were cut to pieces by Ottoman artillery.

In the “second battle" of Meckin Kamen on 2 August 2018 - a political one - Macedonian President George Ivanov emerged as the clear victor on the battle field -as some Macedonians cheekily point out-the modern day Sultanate (US) and its bashi-bazouk irregulars were forced to retire under the artillery barrage of drink bottle and cans.

The irony was not missed by keen students of Macedonian history.

What transpired in the “second battle”? President Ivanov reiterated his strong opposition to the Prespa Agreement - see link here - signed by the Greek and Macedonian governments - but in reality formulated by the US for its strategic needs. A high ranking US State Department official Matthew Palmer together with one of Macedonia’s Deputy Prime Ministers, Koco Angjusev, were present at Ivanov’s speech. The President also highlighted the call for ethnic tolerance amongst all of Macedonia’s ethnic minorities, including Albanians and Serbs.

Palmer had earlier arrived in Macedonia in order to massage Washington’s message that it wants a referendum scheduled in late September in Macedonia to approve the Prespa Agreement, which would lead to Macedonia changing its name, losing its identity in order to gain NATO and EU membership. As mentioned above, the President is opposed to the agreement but supports NATO and EU membership without Macedonia losing its identity.

When President Ivanov’s speech ended, the government delegation including Palmer left. As it was being escorted back to the convoy of limousines by security, angry Macedonians began booing, shouting at the delegation. Bottles and cans were seen being hurled at the delegation. No one was hurt. I was some distance away from the delegation but clearly saw the incoming “artillery.”

From what I could gather and sense from the crowd near me and later on when I moved to the location where the delegation had been pelted from , it was a spontaneous act of anger at the prospect
of losing Macedonian identity and nothing to do with the President in provoking any kind of such behaviour.

However, It remains to be see what “retaliatory” strike will occur against Ivanov. Prime Minister Zaev and his coalition government, which includes Albanian right wing nationalist DUI party, supports the name change and the Prespa deal. It’s no understatement to say that the President, originally from the rival VMRO-DPMNE party, are not on the best of terms.

PALMER’S VISIT TO MACEDONIA - Ominous ?

Vangel Cvetkovski, an Australian-Macedonian, met Matthew Palmer. Cvetkovski was a guest of US advocacy group United Macedonian Diaspora when he was on a visit to the US last year.

His assessment:

“I met Palmer [Director of Office of South-Central Europe] at the State Department in Washingron D.C. He gave me the impression he likes to talk and to answer specific questions. He didn't like the idea of having a two way conversation with me, particularly if I didn't like the answer or found holes in it. He often used humour to dumb down something not to his liking.

"But underneath his facade there is a seasoned operator who gets things done. If he is in Macedonia he is there to bellow orders and add weight to developments. Contrary to descriptions of a diplomat, I see his role as a heavy hitter. Considering his role in what is likely to happen, he has no place in Macedonia and definitely not at Mečkin Kamen.

“I do not have a good feeling about his presence there."

KNIVES OUT FOR THE PRESIDENT - fierce pressure on George Ivanov

But it was more the spontaneous anger of the people there at Meckin Kamen which was the spark for the incident rather than a deliberate ploy by a usually timid, mild mannered Ivanov - once described by ex Albanian terrorist turned US political client Ali Ahmeti--and meant as an insult over the President’s nerdy image--a nice guy and a professor.

But the media campaign against Ivanov fell into swing - being labelled a “fascist” etc. see link 

The irony is the only real fascists in the true sense of the word have been the Albanian political bloc which has built World War II Nazi collaborator statues in Macedonia, whereas in Germany, the birthplace of Nazism, statues associated with Nazis are forbidden. The US has remained silent about this especially since the Albanian bloc is seen as a key US supporter.

You’re beginning to see in Macedonia - and I've seen it too - that rules apply differently.

- Albanian Neo fascists are permitted to build WWII Nazi statues and preach racist ideology and no condemnation from the international community. Instead Ali Ahmeti is supported by the West. see links here and here

The Norwegian Ambassador to Macedonia, resident in Belgrade, has given an undertaking to investigating these nasty statues but others such as the US, France have deliberately declined to comment nor condemn them. Likewise the French Ambassador has declined to comment about the behaviour of Macedonia’s Defence Minister Radmila Sekerinska (see below)

- Serb racists cleverly rebranded as “anti nationalists” such as media pundit Borjan Jovanovski, Macedonia’s Defence Minister Radmila Sekerinska, Colour Revolution activist Pavle Bogoevski, and Skopje suburban Mayor Sasa Bogdanovic-Srpce are permitted to attack Macedonian identity and statues and in fact be rewarded for it by the West -as long as their racism doesn't apply to Albanians.

You’re now getting the picture...and this is being driven by the US in order to hammer Macedonia into submission. see links here and here

Ilinden artillery -
TRICKOVSKI - ZAEV’S LOOSE CANNON ? He can say things the PM can’t but wants to?

And who could forget pro Macedonia Prime Minister Zaev mouthpiece Branko Trickovski’s call sometime ago for Macedonia’s President Ivanov to be lynched and the death of two prominent female Macedonian academics Solza Grceva and Biljana Vankovska  who oppose the Prespa Agreement-there hasn’t been any action from the Interior Ministry, which runs the police in Macedonia. link

HISTORICAL HORSE TRADING 

BULGARIA’S point scoring at Macedonia's expense:

The big winner of the Ilinden commemoration and all the commotion attached to it this year has been Bulgaria - which is a bizarre but true thing to say. A national holiday which is the foundation or cornerstone of the Macedonian state is now "jointly celebrated" with Bulgaria with Bulgarian officials openly saying - incorrectly of course - that Macedonians are Bulgarians; that the Uprising was Bulgarian inspired even though it was sabotaged by Bulgaria. Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev turning up in Bulgaria to "jointly commemorate" legitimises Bulgarian racism towards Macedonians. It’s a truly strange thing for a Macedonian political leader to do...

This “joint celebrating” is the result of political extortion, known as a good neighbourly agreement demanded by Bulgaria in order to support Macedonia’s application to join NATO.


Put crudely, the simple arithmetic is there are four US military bases in Bulgaria, so Macedonians have to lose their history for Washington to keep its Bulgar allies happy. Outrageous horse trading in a people’s identity - using it as a commodity at the diplomatic poker table. This is another source of popular discontent in having to swallow this humiliation in the name of “good neighbourly relations” but in reality US strategic needs in order to bed down the Balkans and keep the Russians out.

Serb money laundering serious in Macedonia - Norway Ambassador says

by Sasha Uzunov

Serbian money laundering and its impact upon Macedonia is of serious concern, Norway’s Ambassador to Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia has alleged.

Ambassador Mr Arne Sannes Bjørnstad has also further alleged that Serb money laundering has permitted groups to finance opposition to the controversial name deal between Greece and Macedonia, which would remove a Greek veto over Macedonia joining both the EU and NATO.

He was asked by Team Uzunov blog the following question:

"The US State Department regards Serbian money laundering as a very serious problem both globally and locally in Eastern Europe and the Balkans including Macedonia. Some Macedonians refuse to accept this problem and dismiss it as "propaganda." What can Norway do in terms of educating Macedonians about this danger to their economy and social well being, and which would wipe away any financial gains offered by EU membership? (In other words even if Macedonia were to join the EU, extensive Serb corruption and money laundering would negate EU economic assistance)>'

The Ambassador’s response: 

"Insufficient financial transparency is a challenge in most Balkan countries. This facilitates money laundering as well as other financial crimes. It also makes it easier for external powers to gain influence by non-transparent funding of political groups or activities, covert funding of opposition to the agreement between Macedonia and Greece on the name issue in order to prevent Macedonia joining NATO and the EU being an example.”  

Ms Solza Grceva, one of the Macedonian leaders opposed to the deal, has dismissed such claims of foreign funding of name deal opponents as being the work of the country’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in his bid to tarnish all those who are against a scheduled referendum on the name deal. Ms Grceva is a former Macedonian Member of Parliament who belonged to Mr Zaev’s Social Democrats Union of Macedonia (SDSM) and is now a leading academic.

She wrote on social media - ridiculing the claim of “Russian interference” in Macedonia and pointed out that the Macedonian people were opposed to losing their name and identity:

"Грција протерала двајца руски дипломати и забранила влез на уште двајца, кои наводно се мешале во договорот со Македонија.

На тоа Заев дал изјава во Брисел дека нашите протести за името, пази он знаел, дека се организирани од Русија.

“Zoran Zaev, the Macedonian prime minister, speaking at the Nato summit in Brussels, indicated he knew Russia was behind some of the protests outside his own parliament, but he said his country was not going to seek conflict"- The Guardian

Човеков не знае дека каменот му доаѓа од блиску. Од народов кој не може да смисли промена на име и идентитет! Не, он знае. Само лупа тоа што овие сакаат да го чујат.

Be that as it may, what remains certain is Serbian money laundering as well as the Kosovar Albanian narco mafia pose a serious problem to Macedonia’s economic stability, regardless if it joins the EU or not.

A TEAM UZUNOV blog investigation has revealed the extensive involvement of the United States via USAID in shaping Macedonia’s domestic and foreign policies. see link here

BAFFLING - what has remained puzzling is the staunchest supporters of the name deal with Greece, EU and NATO membership for Macedonia have steadfastly refused to protest against Serb money laundering in Macedonia, which is alleged to be the conduit of “foreign funding” namely Russian money - to finance protests in Macedonia against NATO membership.

Not one protest has been held outside the Serb Embassy in Skopje, Macedonia. It throws into doubt the whole claim of “foreign meddling.” Instead no explanation is given as to why there are no protests - only evasion and nasty insults.

Serbia has indicated that it will not be joining NATO. It remains inexplicable why Macedonian activists who support NATO membership for Macedonia are reluctant to protest against Serbian money laundering...

Recently, Mr Aleksej Demjanski, a US based Macedonian “anti corruption” campaigner dismissed attempts by TEAM UZUNOV blog to scrutinise Serb money laundering in Macedonia as “propaganda.”

Ms Ivana Jordanovska who has pushed long and hard for Macedonia to join both NATO and the EU, called for EU sanctions to be placed against Macedonia’s President George Ivanov but refused to call for sanctions to be placed against Serbia’s President Alexander Vucic, who has been alleged by that country’s ex Foreign Minister Vuk “the Wolfman” Jeremic” as being heavily involved in money laundering in Macedonia with former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

Another anti corruption campaigner in Macedonia, Pavle Bogoevski, a Serb and the face of the Colour Revolution, also revealed that he too doesn’t protest against the shenanigans of Vucic.

see link here

NORWAY AMBASSADOR TO INVESTIGATE ALBANIAN NAZI STATUES

Norwegian Ambassador to Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia, 

Mr Arne Sannes Bjørnstad photo credit: Diplomacy and Commerce- link here

by Sasha Uzunov

Norwegian Ambassador to Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia, Mr Arne Sannes Bjørnstad, says he was unaware of World War II Albanian Nazi collaborator statues installed in Macedonia by leading Albanian politicians and will further investigate.

“I will try to give short answers to your questions, but let me also thank you for bringing to my attention the statues mentioned,” said. “To answer your questions: I was not aware of this, and will in due course take this up with relevant political leaders.”

Team Uzunov blog questions:

1. Ambassador, Norway was a victim of brutal Nazi occupation during WWII are you aware about the building of Albanian Nazi statues in Macedonia by Albanian politicians?

2. What measure can Norway take to convince Albanian politicians in Macedonia that Nazi statues are an insulting gesture to Macedonians, Jews and even anti fascist Albanians?

Over the past decade leading Albanian politicians in Macedonia, including Ali Ahmeti, a terrorist turned politician, have built controversial statues to World War II Albanian Nazi collaborators such as Xhem Hasa also known as Xhem Gostivar.

In comparison Nazi statues are banned in Germany.

Hasa was the leader of a Nazi quisling militia known as the Balli Kombetar which terrorised ethnic Macedonians in western Macedonia in the pursuit of a racially pure Greater Albania, which backed by Fascist Italy and later by Nazi Germany.

Ahmeti started a war in Macedonia in 2001 - invoking the fascist ideology of the Balli Kombetar.


Thas there been silence from successive Macedonian governments, as well as various US Ambassadors, EU mandarins over the rise of extremist Albanian nationalist ideology in Macedonia which invokes the likes of Xhem Hasa.

The Balli Kombetar was set up by Fascist Italy and later taken over by Nazi Germany. The Balli Kombetar’s objective was a Greater Albania, involving the ethnic cleansing of Macedonians in western Macedonia. Albanians who opposed the Balli Kombetar also fell victim.

In 2006, a statue to Xhem Hasa was unveiled in his village of birth, Sminica, near the Macedonian town of Gostivar.

In 2015, with much fanfare and nationalist hysteria whipped up against the ‘evil Slavs” - the Macedonians, the ethnic Albanian Mayor of Gostivar Nevzat Bejat unveiled a statue of Aqif Krosi Recani, another WWII Balli Kombetar commander in Macedonia, in the village of Recan.

Both times there was silence from various activists. Would the building of a statue to Hermann Goering or Heinrich Himmler in modern day Germany be tolerated? First and foremost, most Germans wouldn’t even consider the idea to begin with.

The Albanian political bloc in Macedonia has largely supported these Balli Kombetar statues - which then raises question marks over whether its agenda for increased ‘Albanian rights’ in Macedonia is genuine or not? It’s unheard of genuine activists invoking fascists. Genuine activists would be citing Nelson Mandela or the Dalai Lama.

The Albanian Bloc in Macedonia is staunchly pro US and there is a reluctance to go against such allies, the Kosovo Liberation Army’s offshoot in Macedonia, the NLA, which started a war in 2001 in Macedonia.

The objective then was to take territory for a Greater Albania much like the Balli Kombetar during World War II. When the Macedonian security forces thwarted the plan, despite getting off on the back foot militarily, the Western media narrative, in support of the US, changed from grabbing territory to “human rights activism.” Albanian leaders such as Ali Ahmeti, Talat Xhaferi and so on went from being terrorists to “legitimate” political players - in the form of the political party DUI - in Macedonia, courtesy of a 2008 amnesty law introduced by the Macedonian government, no doubt strong armed by the US in the background. The interesting thing is a European Court of Human Rights ruling has laid down that war crimes cannot be “pardoned” or “amnestied” yet no Macedonian court is willing to launch an indictment of Ahmeti or any of the KLA leaders in Macedonia.

Anders Breivik

NORWAY AND MACEDONIA:

The alarming parallels between Norwegian neo Nazi extremist and mass murder Anders Breivik and Albanian extremist Ali Ahmeti.

Both are supporters of neo Nazi ideology and both have a history of mental illness and both have either killed or directed others to kill for their ideology. The exception being Ahmeti is not in prison but protected by the West. Breivik murdered 77 people in Norway in 2011. Ahmeti started a short lived war in Macedonia in 2001 resulting in over 250 deaths, many wounded, injured.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia was told: (- link here)

"from 1993 to 2002 Mr. Ahmeti received a 100 per cent invalidity allowance from the Swiss authorities because he suffered from a severe case of schizophrenia paranoia.”

Ali Ahmeti (centre) with US Ambassador to Macedonia Jess Baily (right).

ALI AHMETI ECHOING BALLI KOMBETAR FASCIST IDEOLOGY OF ETHNIC CLEANSING - in 2001 he started a war in Macedonia which lead to the deaths of many innocent people, police and soldiers.

- From the book, The Coming Balkan Caliphate by Chris Deliso: Ahmeti told a western journalist in March 2001, quote: “our aim is solely to remove [Macedonian] Slav forces from territory which is historically Albanian.”

One of Ahmeti’s commanders: “like all wars, ours was for territory- not because of some human rights problems.”

PRESPA AGREEMENT - underpinned by hypocrisy & racism

GUEST COLUMNIST Chris Popov writes for Team Uzunov blog

Supporters of the name deal write to The Guardian newspaper - see link here

Preface comment by Sasha Uzunov - TEAM UZUNOV blog editor

The "North Macedonia name deal" signed by Greece and Macedonia on 17 June - in reality formulated by the US despite the play acting - is an attempt to erase Macedonian identity off the face of the earth.

Putting aside the Kabuki theatre / pantomime in Athens, Greece loses nothing in the deal; in fact makes no concessions but Macedonia loses: the right to its own history, giving up its concern for ethnic Macedonians in Greece who are denied their rights ; and above all giving up its sovereignty by allowing Greece extraordinary powers to prosecute those who might be accused of "anti Hellenic" rhetoric, something unheard off.

What underpins the agreement is US foreign policy and geo strategic needs - that is to put the Balkans finally to bed under US hegemony. Macedonian identity poses a "problem" for Washington - especially to its NATO allies Greece, Bulgaria and Albania. Therefore the path of least resistance is to bully Macedonia.

To highlight the hypocrisy there is the deliberate silence of the US/EU/NATO of World War II Albanian Nazi collaborator statues built recently in Macedonia by "mainstream" ethnic Albanian politicians and former KLA terrorists from the 2001 war in Macedonia. In contrast, Germany - the birthplace of Nazism - has no Nazi statues. see link here 

WHITE FACE?

Add to this the latent racism of the West. As a cruel joke towards native ethnic Macedonians, the US has groomed a Serb chauvinist and a former Slobodan Milosevic sympathiser who pretends to be a Macedonian “anti nationalist,” the current Defence Minister Radmila Sekerinska who cynically jumped on the EU bandwagon sometime ago. see link here

Back in the 1940s and even unto the 1960s you had white Hollywood actors playing Asians, African Americans and so on. Who could forget John Wayne playing Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan on the big screen...
------------

GUEST COLUMNIST reacts to a letter in The Guardian newspaper supporting the name deal: 

Dr Risto “Chris” Popov - retired Australian public servant with the federal immigration department and long time Australian-Macedonian human rights activist - see links here and here 

The characterisation by the signatories of those Macedonians who oppose this agreement as “hardliners and extremists” is not only highly offensive, but completely inaccurate and irrational. [see link here] What they are asking Macedonians, not only in the Republic of Macedonia, but in all parts of ethnographic Macedonia, to do is to relinquish their most basic human, political and cultural rights, including those to self-identification and self-determination; something that the signatories themselves would not even dream of suggesting to the peoples of the countries that they are citizens of.

The so-called Prespa Agreement ( in reality a dictate imposed by Greece, USA, NATO and the EU) explicitly obliterates Macedonia's name for all purposes, (remember that the name is our identity), transforms Macedonia’s name from an ethnic/national descriptor into a geographical one, attacks the idea that the Macedonian language is a distinct language in its own right by insisting that it be denoted as a "south Slavic" language in order to promote the myth that there is a "Greek-Macedonian" linguistic heritage and requires North Macedonia to recognise the "Hellenic" character of Aegean Macedonia, while Greece is under no such obligation to recognise Macedonian history, culture and heritage. It does not require Greece to encourage respect for anything Macedonian (or "North Macedonian") in terms of use of terminology, will lead to Macedonian historical textbooks being revised in accordance with Greek historical revisionism and to the Macedonians in Aegean Macedonia being explicitly renounced by "North Macedonia" via constitutional revision.

In addition, there will be pressure on non-state bodies and organisations (for example those promoting recognition of the rights of ethnic Macedonians in Aegean Macedonia, that 51% of ethnographic Macedonian annexed by Greece in 1912-13) to desist from using “irredentist" terminology (for example, defending the human rights of the large ethnic Macedonian minority in Greece),Greek names for Macedonian towns and cities and landmarks in Aegean Macedonia will have to be used officially- all the names of these towns and cities were changed after that part of Macedonia was annexed by Greece in 1913 along with the personal names and surnames of ethnic Macedonians who remained in Greece- and possibly by ordinary citizens of "North Macedonia" and the Kutlesh flag and all symbols associated with it will be banned in state institutions and their use by private individuals will be "discouraged".

The agreement foresees the development of a joint History commission whereby so-called differences regarding interpretations of historical events and educational materials will be discussed. What this means in reality is that Macedonian history books will be revised to reflect a Greek view of Macedonia’s history and given that Greece holds the whip hand in that EU/NATO entry for Macedonia depends on it meeting Greek demands, then it is clear that such text books will reflect a Greek point of view which does not recognise the existence of a distinct Macedonia nation, ethnic group , language or identity anywhere in our Balkan homeland, which includes not only the Republic of Macedonia, but those parts of ethnographic Macedonia now within the borders of Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo and Serbia. 

There are many more offensive and insulting Orwellian clauses which will severely restrict freedom of speech in the Republic of Macedonia by limiting discussion of topics deemed irredentist or offensive by Greece; namely, mentioning or talking about the existence of a Macedonian minority in Greece and their total lack of basic human rights. This is simply obliteration and the beginning of a process of cultural genocide of the Macedonian people. However, there are many hurdles to pass and until such time that it is ratified by both countries, the name remains Republic of Macedonia.

The quisling Zaev government which was installed by the West to change Macedonia's name and get it into NATO is facing strong internal resistance -demonstrations, civil disobedience - and the sooner it falls the better. And remember this very important maxim; a country which does not respect itself by surrendering its most valuable and fundamental human rights can hardly expect to have its social and political rights respected by others. So if one is making a morally and politically unjustifiable deal –i.e. trading away one’s rights to a name and the identity and cultural issues which flow from that for the illusory economic and other so-called benefits of EU/NATO membership- rest assured that not only is that “deal” totally unacceptable, but bound to end in even more economic hardship for the ordinary people of Macedonia, as opposed to its comprador and subservient ruling class. The only thing that will be achieved by such a Faustian pact is the rapid depopulation of Macedonia by even greater emigration in the unlikely event that it gains membership of the EU; that is if the EU is still in existence in 15 years which is how long it may take for Macedonia to be admitted.

This is why this shameful agreement must not be allowed to stand and any referendum, whether consultative or binding, boycotted en masse so that the message is sent loud and clear to the Zaev regime that the Macedonian people roundly reject and delegitimize any attempt to even consider any change of our historical, centuries-old and rightful name. A large majority of ethnic Macedonians in the Republic of Macedonia oppose any such name change. I suggest that your readers read the text of the Agreement carefully to uncover the horror that awaits Macedonia should it be implemented. No self-respecting government would accept the dictates contained in this document.

Dr Risto Popov