ICJ defeat for Greece
What are your thoughts?
Facing ICJ Defeat, Greece Looking to Quit Agreement
Sunday, 03 April 2011
Athens is considering the option to nullify the 1995 Interim Agreement with Macedonia after facing a legal defeat at the Hague, says yesterday's edition of Greek daily Kathimerini.
Stavros Ligeros, the author of the article claims if Greece had quit the Agreement earlier, Skopje wouldn't have had the opportunity to sue Athens. Now, says Ligeros, Greece is looking at an embarassing outcome, losing a legal challenge at the ICJ. Athens should have never allowed a political problem with Skopje to turn into a legal problem, says Ligeros.
Greek Media blames the former government led by Karamanlis, but also the current for not quitting the Agreement.
To make matters worse for the Greek side, its media mentions Evangelos Kofos and Christos Rozakis who in 1996 and 2001 said Greece had given up its right to blackmail/block Macedonia on its path to NATO and the EU. In a way, both Kofos and Rozakis had written Macedonia's lawsuit against Greece at the ICJ.
Macedonian analyst are not surprised by Greece's moves and consideration of abandoning the 1995 Interim Agreement. The fact that Athens is looking at quitting the interim agreement is a sign that official Athens if not confident then is certainly leaning towards losing the lawsuit at the ICJ.
Macedonian experts explain Greece's withdrawal from the agreement will mean more blockades for the country, however the blockades are in place for several years now, in other words nothing changes. Once the agreement is abandoned, Athens can no longer make requests on which symbols, flags, (Kutlesh) sun, or names Macedonia uses.
What are your thoughts?
Facing ICJ Defeat, Greece Looking to Quit Agreement
Sunday, 03 April 2011
Athens is considering the option to nullify the 1995 Interim Agreement with Macedonia after facing a legal defeat at the Hague, says yesterday's edition of Greek daily Kathimerini.
Stavros Ligeros, the author of the article claims if Greece had quit the Agreement earlier, Skopje wouldn't have had the opportunity to sue Athens. Now, says Ligeros, Greece is looking at an embarassing outcome, losing a legal challenge at the ICJ. Athens should have never allowed a political problem with Skopje to turn into a legal problem, says Ligeros.
Greek Media blames the former government led by Karamanlis, but also the current for not quitting the Agreement.
To make matters worse for the Greek side, its media mentions Evangelos Kofos and Christos Rozakis who in 1996 and 2001 said Greece had given up its right to blackmail/block Macedonia on its path to NATO and the EU. In a way, both Kofos and Rozakis had written Macedonia's lawsuit against Greece at the ICJ.
Macedonian analyst are not surprised by Greece's moves and consideration of abandoning the 1995 Interim Agreement. The fact that Athens is looking at quitting the interim agreement is a sign that official Athens if not confident then is certainly leaning towards losing the lawsuit at the ICJ.
Macedonian experts explain Greece's withdrawal from the agreement will mean more blockades for the country, however the blockades are in place for several years now, in other words nothing changes. Once the agreement is abandoned, Athens can no longer make requests on which symbols, flags, (Kutlesh) sun, or names Macedonia uses.
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