Protests against Initiatives to Change the Constitutional Name of the Country

20 February 2008

Several thousand citizens of Macedonia gathered yesterday, at the Macedonia Square in Skopje, to protest the initiatives to change the constitutional name of the country, organized by the Youth Knows nongovernmental association.

- The protests aim to express our position, as citizens of Macedonia, that we will not accept any change of the constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia, emphasizes he organization, on the eve of the latest proposal expected to be submitted by UN Mediator Matthew Nimitz.

The Youth Knows claim that they have no intention to undermine the country�s protest towards EU and NATO membership.

- We want to support all those that want Macedonia to take its rightful place and the privileges that come with the membership in these organizations, but not if the price we pay is the name of the country and our national identity, add the organization representatives.

The protests didn`t pass without incidents. A group of protesters stoned the Greek Embassy in Skopje, expressing their disagreements with official Athens through vandalism and violence.

Last night, Mediator Nimitz was expected to come forward with the final and ultimate proposal for the name that would be acceptable to both parties in the dispute.