GREEK AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS' POLICY STATEMENT ON FYROM

WASHINGTON, DC—The American Hellenic Institute founder, Gene Rossides, announced today that the major Greek American membership organizations approved the policy statement on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) prepared by the American Hellenic Institute. The organizations are: the Order of AHEPA, the Hellenic American National Council, the Cyprus Federation of America, the Panepirotic Federation of America, the Pan-Macedonian Association of America and the Evrytanian Association of America. The approved statement on FYROM, which is part of the 2004 Greek American Policy Statements follows:

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

We call on the U.S., in its own self- interest, to strongly support a name for this former Yugoslav republic that does not include the word "Macedonia." Since antiquity, the name Macedonia has referred to a geographical region, not to a nationality.

We call on our government to seek a new bilateral agreement with FYROM regarding immunity for U.S. citizens from prosecution by the International Criminal Court in which FYROM signs under the proper internationally recognized name of FYROM.

When Marshal Tito fashioned the puppet "Socialist Republic of Macedonia" from the southern Yugoslav province of Vardar-Banovina in 1945, he did so to foment disorder in northern Greece in furtherance of his plan to communize the Balkan Peninsula and gain control of the key port city of Salonica. "Macedonian" nationalism was a product of Tito's fabrications. The then U.S. Secretary of State Edward Stettinius in a circular airgram to diplomatic officers on December 26, 1944 wrote:

"This Government considers talk of Macedonian 'nation,' Macedonian 'Fatherland,' or Macedonian 'national consciousness' to be unjustified demagoguery representing no ethnic nor political reality, and sees in its present revival a possible cloak for aggressive intentions against Greece."

The Truman Doctrine and massive financial aid under the Marshall Plan foiled Tito’s hopes for communizing Greece.

For the full text of our policy statements or for additional information, please contact Angeliki Vassiliou at (202) 785-8430 or atangeliki@ahiworld.org. For general information on AHI, see our Web site at www.ahiworld.org.