Greece to hold rally and counter-protest over ‘Macedonia’ in Athens

Hundreds of thousands of Greeks are expected to fill central Syntagma Square in Athens on Sunday to protest over Greek attempts to resolve a longstanding name row with Macedonia, MIA reports from Athens.

Around 1,500 buses have been chartered to bring demonstrators from the provinces to the capital where the rally is to begin at Syntagma Square at 2 p.m.

The main speaker will be veteran Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, while speeches will also be delivered by professor of constitutional law, three clerics representing the Church of Greece and representatives of the protest organizers.

The Greek Police plans to erect barriers to keep demonstrators at Syntagma apart from anarchists who are to stage their own counter-rally, starting at noon outside Athens University.

Large parts of the center are closed to traffic as well as the Syntagma, Panepistimio and Omonia metro stations.

I definitely think this a historic opportunity. Whether we reach a solution, we still have some ways to go, but I think we are closer now than we have ever been and the will on both sides, leadership level and also among I think most of the people is positive, UN mediator Matthew Nimetz said in the interview with show ‘360 Degrees’ on Alsat-M TV.

He said that in both Athens and Skopje not everyone is happy with everything I said in my ideas and these are meant to be suggestions till the parties move them closer.

“I made some suggestions and I hear from both sides their views and I will try to pull some of this together. But also two foreign ministers have a dialogue, they know each other well and the two governments will ultimately to work out for a solution,” he said.

I clearly and sternly stressed that it is not within his competence to talk about what Athens’ policy is, much less to describe it incorrectly, Greece’s FM Nikos Kotzias said in a phone conversation with UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy, Matthew Nimetz, who returned from Skopje.

In a press statement released late Friday, Kotzias comments the recent developments on the resolution of the name issue, MIA reports.

Based on the briefing I received regarding the talks Mr. Nimetz had in Skopje, I made it absolutely clear that the negotiations can take place only on the basis of what was agreed upon in Davos. After all, any negotiation in good faith takes place on the basis of convergences that have already been achieved, Kotzias said.