Macedonia says latest name compromise is "final"

By Kole Casule

SKOPJE (Reuters) - Macedonia's government is ready to ask parliament to consider a new name for the country to end a dispute with Greece that is blocking its NATO membership bid, Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki said on Friday.

Greece threatens to veto Macedonia's bid unless it changes its name, which is the same as Greece's northernmost province.

Referring to a U.N, mediator's suggestion that the former Yugoslav republic change its name to "Republic of Macedonia (Skopje)", he said: "After 15 years of talks we think that this proposal is final in this process."

Milososki declined to say whether his government accepted the compromise name, but said parliament would probably discuss the proposal on Monday.

It would be the first time a proposed name change has made it as far as the national assembly. It was not clear if Greece would accept "Republic of Macedonia (Skopje)" as a compromise.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn voiced hope on Friday that the dispute would be settled soon.

"I certainly hope the almost eternal name issue could be settled shortly," Rehn told a news conference during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Slovenia.

He said Macedonia's dispute with EU member Greece was a bilateral issue, but still might affect Skopje's EU ambitions.