Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis yesterday briefed Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on the outcome of her talks in New York regarding the Macedonia name dispute, as a high-level political clash in Skopje cast a shadow over the prospects for a settlement.

Bakoyannis, who had talks with her counterpart from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Antonio Milososki, in Paris more than a week ago, broached the issue of the name spat over the weekend with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whose special envoy Matthew Nimetz is mediating negotiations between Athens and Skopje. It was unclear yesterday what input Bakoyannis had received from the UN chief. But Greek diplomats were downbeat after a meeting between FYROM Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and the country’s president, Branko Crvenkovski, was described by sources in Skopje as “a total disaster”. The two FYROM politicians have been at loggerheads for a long time, with the name spat a particularly sore point. But yesterday’s meeting is said to have left the two men more divided than ever. Gruevski reportedly called for an end to UN-mediated talks between Greek and FYROM representatives and wants Nimetz to send proposals directly to the governments of each country. Crvenkovski, who did not back Gruevski’s stance, called for patience at this crucial phase of talks.

Meanwhile, Greek diplomats are concerned about the new proposal being drafted by Nimetz. They are said to be unsettled by reports that Nimetz aims to propose that the nationality of FYROM citizens be stated as “Makedonski” on official documents. They think this would work in Skopje’s favor, bringing the issue of so-called Macedonian ethnicity into the name talks.