The Macedonian Digest

“From the readers for the readers”

Edition 30 – June 2008

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Editor’s Notes

Dear readers and friends,

      A friend has asked me to write something, perhaps a plea to the Greek government to ask that it reinstate the old Macedonian names of villages, towns, cities, mountains, rivers, lakes, etc. in Aegean Macedonia that have been changed since Greece acquired Macedonian territories.  I believe VINOZHITO has already done this but it wouldn’t hurt to do it again:

To the Greek government;

      There is no Macedonian today that would argue against reinstating the old Macedonian names of their favourite village, town, river or lake. Most would not even mind if both Macedonian and Greek names appear on signs and maps. Will you please reinstate the old Macedonian names?

Thank you

      But! I would have to be very naïve to believe that Greece would put back the old names, out of the goodness of its heart.

      If we want Greece to reinstate the old Macedonian names, the Macedonian language and allow Macedonians to embrace their Macedonian culture, Greece will first have to recognize that a Macedonian ethnicity exists with full rights and privileges in accordance with international norms. Once it does that it will have to recognize the Macedonians in Greece, their language, culture, history, etc. Then it would be up to the Macedonian people to reinstate the old Macedonian names, language, alphabet, schools and to educate their children in the Macedonian language.

      The Macedonians of Greece have been under Greece’s thumb for almost a century now and all I have seen thus far is Greece, at every opportunity, trying to extinguish them. So I would not hold my breath for Greece to voluntarily do anything good for the Macedonians. One hundred years of abuse is more than enough for them. I think it’s time they separate and give Greece the heave-ho. Kosovo did it why can’t they?

Risto…

Feature Stories

EU has a solution

(MINA)

      EU is looking at ways to change current laws in a way that would not allow member countries of any organization to blackmail non-member nations.

      The new law has been proposed by Slovenia, and was accepted by EU Chief, Javier Solana. The law will come into effect after Slovenia’s term is up. The blackmail imposed on Macedonia by Greece simply because the latter happened to be a member of NATO forced the EU to draw up a line.

      EU representatives are aware that the blackmail would continue when Macedonia is expected to join the EU.

      However, the problem is not only between Macedonia and Greece. In a way, all of the Balkan neighbors have issues with one another. What made the EU speed up working on this law is the fact that Croatia and Slovenia have a territorial dispute, which means Slovenia as a EU member could blackmail Croatia as a non-member. Similar thing is expected to occur with Serbia and Kosovo. It is expected for Serbia to enter EU much faster than Kosovo, which means it could block Kosovo's EU accession later on.

      Because of this, each Balkan country that joins the EU or NATO will have to abide by a document agreeing it will not impede another country's accession.

      It's difficult to comprehend that while most of Europe enjoys freedom of movement, the Balkans are stuck bickering over names, history or a 200 sq meters patch of land.

Posted by Dee

12.05.2008 BULGARIAN POLICE RE-ACTIVATE CAMPAIGN OF HARASSMENT OF UMO ILINDEN PIRIN (13/05/2008)

http://e-f-a.org/news.php?id=411

      The Ministry of the Interior has identified 180 members of UMO Ilinden PIRIN to be interrogated by the police.
      In the last few weeks Bulgarian police have re-activated a campaign of harassment and intimidation of members of UMO "Ilinden" PIRIN in the Blagoevgrad and Simitli districts of Bulgaria. In the last few weeks Bulgarian police have re-activated a campaign of harassment and intimidation of members of UMO "Ilinden" PIRIN in the Blagoevgrad and Simitli districts of Bulgaria.
      The Ministry of the Interior has identified 180 members of UMO "Ilinden" PIRIN to be interrogated by the police. Such persons have been told that it is obligatory for them to attend an interview, without being given a reason why, only being told that they are being called as witnesses. When the interviewees ask the police for the name of the accused, there is no answer. Some have been told orally to attend police stations without written notification.

The interviews are underway and typical questions in this "investigation" include:
      1. Have you signed an application form to join OMO "Ilinden"PIRIN?
      2. Who gave you the application form?
      3. Were you abroad in the period when the signatures for the registration of party were being collected?
      4. Are you or have you been a member other political parties?
      5. Have you received any money to become a member of OMO Ilinden PIRIN?
      6. What is your ethnicity?

      As part of the interrogation, police force the interviewee to sign their name up to 20 times (while sitting and standing) in order to determine whether the signature was the same as the one on the application form to join the party. This is absurd requirement given that the police have no membership forms to compare the signatures with, as the documents are in the possession of OMO Ilinden PIRIN (under Bulgarian law, only personal details of party members are submitted to the authorities and not signatures). Moreover, some persons were required to sign blank sheets of paper, which could later be misused by the police.
      This latest campaign of intimidation and harassment follows a similar one in 2006, when Bulgarian police summoned for interrogation almost 6,000 members of UMO "Ilinden"PIRIN. EFA condemns the continued harassment of its members by the Bulgarian police. The action being carried out by an official organ of the Bulgarian state is unbecoming of a Member-State of the European Union and the Council of Europe. It must cease immediately.
      EFA would like to remind the Bulgarian state of its obligations in the case of United Macedonian Organisation Ilinden PIRIN and others v. Bulgaria (application No. 59489/00) - judgment of 20/10/2005, final on 20/01/2006 (a case which continues to be officially monitored by the Council of Europe and also closely being watched by the European Union) in which the re-registration of UMO "Ilinden" PIRIN is an integral part of execution.

Macedonians attacked in Greece

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/1330/45/

      Ilija Sapkarev, Jovan Gorgevic, and Mitko Kirov, all truck drivers from Bogdanci, were physically attacked by 50 Greeks last night.

      The cowardly attack happened in the city of Larissa when the three were returning to Macedonia.  At Larissa, they were  forcibly stopped by Greeks who at the moment were gathered for a strike. The truck had been stopped because of its Macedonian license plates.

      The Greeks surrounded the truck and several of them entered the truck cabin, dragging the Macedonians out of it. From the three, Ilija Sapkarev was maltreated the most because he had a Macedonian flag in the cabin.

      The Greeks took his flag out, and hurled it to the ground. When Ilija attempted to protect his flag he was kicked in his kidneys.  

      There were 5 Greek police officers present when the incident occurred. The policemen did not intervene, rather, helped the Greek mob by telling them to rip off the Macedonian 'MK' (intl. code) insignia from the back of the truck and everywhere where the insignia was visible.

      The Macedonians crossed the St Mary border crossing several hours later, and reported the incident to the Ministry of Interior, who notified the Macedonian Foreign Ministry.

      The three Macedonian drivers work for the trucking company "RiveSped" in Bogdanci. Today, no one from Rivesped wanted to speak in front of camera about the incident.

Latest information is that the Macedonian Foreign Ministry is awaiting for the official MI report, after this a note of Protest will be sent to Athens.

KRASIMIR KANEV: THERE IS NO JUSTICE FOR MEMBERS OF OMO ILINDEN PIRIN IN BULGARIA

http://www.omoilindenpirin.org/news/2008/may08_e.asp

May 8, 2008

      “We are talking here about people from OMO "Ilinden"-PIRIN. There is no justice for this people in Bulgaria. There is a widespread consensus including among the security services, and I would say in the Bulgarian society as a whole, that against them could be taken any unlawful action without any consequences including physical violence.”

(Krasimir Kanev, president of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee in the TV program "Koritarov live" on “Nova televizia"(New television TV channel), 15th April 2008.)

Not another BIG Greek Lie?

How many times have we heard Greeks make this argument:

By Jus Divinum, maknews forum

      Acts 17.4 “And certain of them did believe, and attached themselves to Paul and to Silas, also of the worshipping Greeks a great multitude, of the principal women also not a few.
And

      Acts 17.12 “many, indeed, therefore of them did believe, and of the honourable Greek women and men not a few.”
      It stands to reason that Greeks populated Thessalonica, Berea, and other Macedonian cities. Yet, strangely, there are no Macedonians mentioned in Macedonia. More strange is that there were innumerable Greeks in Aegean Macedonia.
      Compounding this apparent coup d’ grace is the fact that when the New Testament does mention a “Macedonian” it doesn’t mean an “ethnic Macedonian” at all but rather a person from the geographical area known as “Macedonia.” In other words, an appellation meaning from whence a person hails.
      With such seemingly irrefutable evidence, it is argued, modern day Macedonians are hard pressed to “refute” these claims by the Greeks.
      However, this little treatise will endeavor to do just that…refute another Greek lie.
      First of all, what is the context of Acts 17.4? It says in 17.1-3 “And having passed through Amphipolis, and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was the synagogue of the Jews, and according to the custom of Paul, he went into them, and for three Sabbaths he was reasoning with them from the writings, opening and alleging, ‘That the Christ it behooved to suffer, and to rise again out of the dead, and that this is the Christ—Jesus whom I proclaim to you.’”
      Notice a few things: where is the context of this passage? Not in Thessalonica but in the synagogue of the Jews. What does this mean? It means the passage is representative of people in a synagogue and not of an ethnic composition of the city of Thessalonica. Furthermore, observe also that the phrase “of the worshipping Greeks a great multitude, of the principal women also not a few” does not mean that there were many Greeks in Thessalonica but that this number was limited to the Synagogue’s numerical composition. Notice, moreover, that the phrase “worshipping Greeks” is not an ethnic appellation or title. Rather, “Greeks” was an all encompassing appellation of “Gentiles” meaning non-Jews. It was the non-Jews of the synagogue who were largely responsive to the Gospel. Greeks, however, assume that Greeks could only mean “ethnic Greeks.” This, however, can not be sustained in light of the evidence. First, Macedonia was outside of Hellas (Acts 20. 2); Second, Greek meant a non-Jew, not always though. Witness Colossians 3.11 “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew.” Galatians 3.28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek.” Romans 1.16 “To the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” None of these passages mean only “Greeks.” By “Greek” it means Greeks as well as all non-Jews. Third, in Acts 17.4, when speaking of a multitude of Greeks believing it means non-Jews, including Greeks. Fourth, if we are going to make the argument that because the word Greek appears in the Aegean, should we also assume that the Aegean belonged to the Jews, since there were Jews thither as well as synagogues? If not, why not? Should we assume because the word “Greeks” appears in Palestine, that Palestine belonged to Greeks? If not, why not? Fifth, should we believe that because in Acts 17.4 only mentions Jews and Greeks that no other ethnicities existed in the Aegean region? No Romans, for example? Or Macedonians? Not logical, right?
      How about Acts 19.10 “And this happened for two years so that all those dwelling in Asia did hear the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” there is that phrase again “Jews and Greeks” so often repeated in the New Testament; one wonders, if it really meant “ethnic Greek” if there existed in any other people in the whole Mediterranean other than Greeks and Jews, since no other ethnicity is mentioned. Should we imagine that in all of Asia Minor only Jews and Greeks existed? Or that in every synagogue, only Jews and ethnic Greeks were members? Did I hear someone say “ludicrous?” You would be right. And if Aegean Macedonia belonged to Greeks, since there were Greeks mentioned, one wonders whether the sample principle applies to Asia Minor—was Asia Minor in the possession of the Greeks? If so, should the Jews have an equal claim in Macedonia and Asia Minor, since there were Jews thither as well?
      This brings me to my last educational point. There are no ethnic Macedonians in the New Testament; and when “Macedonians” are mentioned, it only means geographically.
      Yet, clearly, this is not true.
      First, Acts 19.29 states “and the whole city was filled with confusion, they rushed also with one accord into the theatre, having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s fellow-travelers.”
And
      Acts 20.4 “And there were accompanying him unto Asia, Sopater of Berea, and of Thessalonians Aristarchus and Secundus, and Gaius of Derbe.”
      This last passage is especially important. Notice that it says Sopater was from Berea, a Macedonian city, Aristarchus and Secundus were from Thessalonica, and Gaius was from Derbe, Asia Minor. Now although it doesn’t say anywhere Sopater was Macedonian ethnically, we really can’t say he was a Macedonian but perhaps simply one stemming from Macedonia. However, Aristarchus in Acts 19.29 is identified as a Macedonian. Now the argument is that Aristarchus was only from Thessalonica, a Macedonian city, but that his ethnicity was not Macedonian. This point is refuted by the following. Gaius is said to have originated from Derbe, Asia Minor, and yet in Acts 19.29 he is called a “Macedonian.” Thus, since Gaius was not born in Macedonia, and yet is still called a Macedonian, it only leads one to believe that he was an ethnic Macedonian born outside of Macedonia. No other explanation can fit.
      Acts 27.2 states “And having embarked on a ship of Adramyttium, we, being about to sail by the coasts of Asia, did set sail, there being with us Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica…” Again, Aristarchus is identified as an ethnic Macedonian.
      Now the question is, why would Luke speak of ethnic Macedonians born in and out of Macedonia and yet only make mention of “Greeks” in the synagogue of the Jews? The answer is simple: to the Jews, all non Jews were Greeks—gentiles. Thus, it was an umbrella term to indicate a non-Jew.
      If anything, the New Testament clearly writes that Macedonia was outside of Hellas, and therefore, nowhere does it speak of ethnic Greeks born in a “Greek Macedonia”. It didn’t exist.
      So once again another big Greek lie has been exposed and manifested; once again, careful analysis shreds the Greek lies to pieces.
      But this is only the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more... but some other day, no doubt.

From the International Scene

You Will Always be Macedonians

By Jason Miko

      Poet T. S. Elliot’s opening line in The Waste Land is “April is the cruelest month.” Well, I was born in April so I take issue with that thought.
      However, looking back at the April NATO Summit, with the clarity of hindsight tempered by a small dose of future gazing as I call it (as opposed to navel gazing), I can confidently state that April is not cruel, but rather just another month in a seemingly never ending story, the story of Greece’s denial of a Macedonian identity.
      And so: my Macedonian friends – you will always be Macedonians and you will always live in the Republic of Macedonia. You will succeed – not just survive – and you and your children and your grand-children and generations yet to come will be called by what you have always called yourselves – Macedonians.
      Do not be discouraged by what transpired in Bucharest last month. While the Greeks clearly abused their position in NATO – acting in an irresponsible, immature and downright nasty way – they are one of out 26. They are an extreme minority, they are in a corner and they are very much alone. The Greeks have lost all credibility with the world. In fact, they have zero credibility.
      Macedonia, on the other hand, has the backing of the world. The other members of NATO – your friends including my country, the United States of America – very much support your membership in NATO. You have made all of the necessary reforms for a NATO invitation. President Bush knows this and in his weekly radio address on April 5, stated “Like Croatia and Albania, Macedonia has met all the criteria for NATO membership….we look forward to the day when this young democracy takes its place among the members of the NATO Alliance.” In other words, you are in NATO for all practical purposes. My highest respect and congratulations.
      Compare these statements with what the Greek Government has said. Writing in the International Herald Tribune on March 30, 2008, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis wrote “The name "Republic of Macedonia," therefore, is not a phantom fear for us Greeks. It is linked with the deliberate plan to take over a part of Greek territory that has had a Greek identity for more than three millennia and is associated with immense pain and suffering by the Greek people.” Leaving aside the fact that she has created her own fictional and fanciful history, she has shown that she is truly paranoid. Lesser people have been locked away in mental institutions for saying such things which gives me pause to consider that might be the best place for her and her paranoia. The fact is, if Macedonia were in NATO, then borders would be finalized, signed and sealed – something the Greeks want. It is odd then, that they claim the opposite.
      It seems to me that if any Greek Government official were to use the adjective “Macedonian” to describe the Macedonian people, language or Church, they would spontaneously combust. This is why they had conniption fits when on April 8, State Department official Dan Fried said “I don't think it is so-called. Macedonian language exists. Macedonian people exist. We teach Macedonian at the Foreign Service Institute…There is also the historic Macedonian province, which is different from the country. And it's important. It's quite clear that the government in Skopje, what we Americans call the Government of Macedonia, has no claims. We recognize the difference between the historic territory of Macedonia, which is, of course, much larger than the current country…The ethnicity is – you know, it’s just a fact as far as I can tell.” Bravo, Dan.
      Of course all of us involved in the Balkans who have studied – or better yet lived – history here, know the truth: Greece will never recognize the Macedonians because of their own treatment of Macedonians and other minorities in their own country. This includes the abuse they’ve meted out to Macedonians, the name changing, the confiscation of property, the denial of language, customs, culture, Church, and so on. The Greek treatment is shameful, awful and frankly, criminal. In fact, it is, to coin a new word, identicide, the deliberate and systematic intent to destroy the identity of another people. If the Greek Government wishes to prove that it is not practicing identicide, then I publicly challenge them to recognize the Macedonian identity.
      Macedonia, the Macedonians, the Macedonian language, culture and Church: Long life to you and God bless you.
      Jason Miko self-identifies as an American, Tucsonan, Arizonan, Hungarian, Transylvanian and Székely, the latter being a Hungarian people in Transylvania. His views are his own.

http://www.neurope.eu/articles/86589.php

      The US Signs a “Declaration” with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on “Strategic Partnership and Cooperation”
      With powerful, committed friends like these in Washington, who needs trouble?

Author: Haps Borgen
12 May 2008 - Issue : 781

      We knew it wouldn’t take too long for the good folks at the US State Department to come up with more bad ideas for Balkan stability, now that they are close to finishing their annual evaluation reports and have surely recommended themselves for senior level bonuses (they call it “performance pay” see NE issue 779) for creating the fiasco at the April Bucharest NATO summit.
      In fact, the junior and middle level staffers working on the country desks in State and elsewhere in Washington were hard at work in recent weeks on the production of a new political “lifeline” for Skopje (Note: these humble staffers don’t actually write personnel evaluations, since they aren’t senior enough to supervise other federal workers, just small countries). Voila.
      On May 7, Secretary of State Rice and FYROMacedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Milososki signed (in Washington, after several delays) the so-called “Joint Declaration of Strategic Cooperation and Partnership, aiming to “Affirm the determination of both governments to further expand and deepen the partnership between the countries based on common goals interests and values.” The State Department’s terse press release notes that both governments will seek to enhance their relationship and broaden cooperation across the range of (our) bilateral relations, including the areas of security, people-to-people ties, and commerce.
      In addition, State claims that the Declaration highlights the strong U.S.- Macedonian partnership in the fight against global terrorism and in promoting international stability, with our troops serving side-by-side in Iraq and Afghanistan. To build on this strategic partnership, both sides will seek to intensify high-level civilian and military contacts, including increased joint training and exercise opportunities to enhance the inter-operability of forces.
      State further claims the Declaration underscores the United States’ commitment to a sovereign, democratic, secure and prosperous Macedonia and to shared values of peace, freedom, the rule of law, and free market economy. It reiterates the United States’ longstanding support for FYROM’s continued security, stability and economic development on the path to full Euro- Atlantic integration, emphasizing in this respect that both countries look forward to Skopje joining NATO as soon as possible.
      Nice try, Condi. The Declaration is nothing more than a hastily-assembled hodgepodge produced by an interagency crash project assembled by the State Department’s skilled “Macedonia” Desk, run by a mid-level civil servant (non-diplomat) with a decade of work experience on US-FYROM relations.
      With senior level support from Acting Under Secretary of State Dan Fried, this Declaration was seen as the political “bone” to be thrown to Skopje (some called it Plan B) if Washington lost its bet and Greece vetoed FYROM’s NATO entry at the Bucharest Summit, which is exactly how things turned out. You may question the impact. What if Skopje takes the declaration seriously and toughens its stance in name talks with Greece, delaying a solution? Will this not have the exact opposite impact on regional stability as what some had intended?
      That’s definitely a very good reason to give the departing State Department team some real cash bonuses – please keep the bright ideas coming. Friends of Greece in the US need to look into this, perhaps scheduling hearings on how this Declaration was thrown together, and for what reasons. So where’s the beef? Does this Declaration amount to anything more significant than the dozens of other strategic partnerships the US has given out over the years? Maybe.
There is an unspecified indication that US assistance will increase in the Declaration: “In this regard, the United States continues to support Macedonia’s security, stability and economic development. In the interest of an intensified partnership, the United States intends to immediately provide additional assistance to Macedonia to help build prosperity, strengthen security, and foster deeper ties between our two countries.”
      We are not sure this increase has been approved by Congress, but since there is substantial support already going to Skopje to fund its participation in Iraq and Afghanistan, such funds can easily be redirected/boosted to meet this “new” commitment, with little or no discussion. Our USAID friends, who strongly prefer working in a civilized place like Skopje instead of the developing world where they are most urgently needed, likewise can redirect funds from elsewhere.
      The paragraph below is particularly worrying, as it interprets the meaning of the NATO Summit Declaration in an unjustified manner, giving FYROMacedonia a continuing “free pass” for NATO entry, despite marginal progress on internal reforms and extremely questionable performance when it comes to inter-ethnic relations. Some would call it a complete whitewash.
You decide: “The NATO Summit Declaration in Bucharest made clear that the Republic of Macedonia has met NATO’s democratic, economic, and defense standards through its rigorous participation in the Membership Action Plan. The United States continues to work with our NATO Allies to maintain Macedonia’s robust cooperation with NATO under existing mechanisms, while it awaits a membership invitation.” Readers should examine the full text of the Declaration.
      If we had to characterize it in one sentence, we’d call it a bone with a very, very small piece of scrap left on it. That is not going to feed too many hungry mouths for very long. This is, of course, provided by a country that could do much, much more if it decided to allocate the resources. Hopefully, that message will not be lost on the policymakers in Skopje.

Haps Borgen
Editor’s note: The full text of the declaration is available at: http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/or/104441.htm

Posted by Volk

Declaration of Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Between the United States of America and the Republic of Macedonia

Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
Washington, DC
May 7, 2008

      The United States of America and the Republic of Macedonia are determined to expand and deepen the close partnership between the two countries based upon common goals, interests, and values. The two countries wish to enhance their strategic relationship through intensified consultation and cooperation in the areas of security, people-to-people ties, and commerce.

      The United States and Macedonia reaffirm their support for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, the purposes and principles of the UN charter, and a unitary, multiethnic Macedonia within its existing borders.

      Macedonia and the United States note that a democratic, secure and prosperous Macedonia, with friendly and constructive relations with its neighbors and as an active participant in regional and international economic, political and security fora, is vital to peace and stability in Southeast Europe.

      In this regard, the United States continues to support Macedonia’s security, stability and economic development.

      In the interest of an intensified partnership, the United States intends to immediately provide additional assistance to Macedonia to help build prosperity, strengthen security, and foster deeper ties between our two countries.

      Macedonia expresses deep appreciation to the U.S. for its assistance to date in helping the Macedonian people as they work to institutionalize and make permanent a democratic process that realizes our shared values of peace, freedom, the rule of law, and a free market economy. Macedonia also recognizes and reaffirms the support from the U.S. in reforming and strengthening its armed forces.

      Building on our existing strong partnership in the fight against global terrorism and promoting international stability, demonstrated by our troops serving together in Iraq and Afghanistan, our civilian and military officials plan to intensify their bilateral high-level contacts and seek increased joint training and exercise opportunities to enhance the inter-operability of our forces, and strengthen our partnership in promoting international security and non-proliferation.

      Sharing a desire to expand trade and investment, the United States and Macedonia will seek to enhance their economic ties and undertake additional measures to strengthen the competitiveness of Macedonia’s economy and expand opportunities for United States and Macedonian businesses. The United States supports Macedonia’s ongoing efforts to build a business-friendly environment attractive to United States and other foreign investment. Macedonia expresses its appreciation for the opportunity to utilize GSP to strengthen bilateral trade. Both countries encourage the further expansion of their trade relations.

      Macedonia expresses satisfaction with the successful implementation of the USAID technical assistance programs in the areas of democracy, economic growth and education and reaffirms its desire for cooperation in these areas to continue.

      The two countries also seek to build closer and more robust bonds between their citizens and will undertake practical measures to promote educational and cultural exchange.

      The NATO Summit Declaration in Bucharest made clear that the Republic of Macedonia has met NATO’s democratic, economic, and defense standards through its rigorous participation in the Membership Action Plan. The United States continues to work with our NATO Allies to maintain Macedonia’s robust cooperation with NATO under existing mechanisms, while it awaits a membership invitation.

      Both countries look forward to Macedonia joining NATO as soon as possible. Our intensified cooperation at this time will further strengthen Macedonia’s readiness to take on Alliance obligations and responsibilities in the near future.

Signed at Washington May 7, 2008.

Issues

Another Blatant Lie!

      "Greece objects to Macedonia's name, alleging that it lays claim to a northern Greek province with the same name".
      (Almost every news article on the internet contains this phrase!)
 
      Risto, this is A BLATANT LIE! That's their problem if they think that! Looking at the map anyone with half a brain can see that the tiny Republic of Macedonia would be no match militarily for the much larger NATO state of Artificial Greece. I thought that the modification of our flag and constitution put an end to their alleged fears. They clearly have another hidden agenda here, and that is to manufacture a so-called "Greek Macedonian" identity! We really should bring back our old flag!
      -The "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" is not even "Greece" to begin with! We all know that Great Britain, France, Germany and the rest of the anti-Russian/anti-(Orthodox Christian)Slav Great Western Powers of the 19th century strategically created this "phony"  state "from 1829" as the Ottoman Empire was breaking up. They then wrongly imposed the proto-Slavic (Pelasgian) name of "Greece" on the forged state! In 1913 Artificial Greece was then given the green light by the same Western Powers to annex 51% of the Ottoman occupied Macedonian nation! "Macedonia" too is a proto-Slavic (Phrygian/Brygian) name!
-The 38% of Ottoman occupied Macedonia which was annexed by Serbia in 1913 became a part of Federal Yugoslavia in 1944. In 1991 when Yugoslavia was breaking up the Socialist Republic of Macedonia declared its independence.
      Artificial Greece knew that Yugoslavia was going to break apart, so three years earlier, in 1988, they "cleverly" re-named their northern province from "Northern Greece" to "Macedonia"!!!
      -Are they allowed to do that? You see, since late 1945 (after World War II) international puppet organizations like the United Nations were being established and so-called "International Laws " were being drafted, heavily influenced and overseen by yes you guessed it Great Britain, France and the West to suit their own agendas! The UN is a joke (run by the west) and Artificial Greece is exploiting the "grey areas" of its set laws to de-rail the Republic of Macedonia!  Although the west chiefly created the UN laws/charter it is not known if the Artificial Greek chess move to name their province "Macedonia" is legally binding! 
      -Artificial Greece is a protectorate of the west and has been ever since its inception! It is no surprise that Artificial Greece is in the UN, EU and NATO!
      -Where does this leave poor old Macedonia? Now, although that 4/5^th’s of the Permanent Members of the UN have recognized Macedonia by its constitutional name (except France!), something "fishy" is going on! The truth is that the west actually wants the Republic of Macedonia to change its name on one hand (eg. "New Macedonia"!) and to legitimize this "Greek Macedonia" on the other!  They are just trying to save some face with this 4 out of 5 figure! (We need 5/5, not 4/5 or 2/5 to get into the UN with our constitutional name!!!)
      -As part of their deceptive game to achieve their goal the west has appointed the impostor Nimitz as the mediator in the so-called "Macedonia" name dispute! His new name proposals for the Republic of Macedonia are pro Artificial Greek! (They undermine and/or negate the "Macedonian" ethnicity, language and history!)
      -The stupid thing is that Artificial Greece is in the UN under the name of "Greece". Which UN state/s actually recognize the Artificial Greek province of so-called "Greek Macedonia"? 
      -The Republic of Macedonia is recognized under its constitutional name by up to 120 countries in the UN! France can, but won't put an end to this charade?! The Republic of Macedonia should now take their case to the highest international courts (presided by Chinese and Russian judges only).
      -Macedonia should ditch the EU, NATO and the US. Just as I expected, there is not much in it for Macedonia in the US-Macedonia joint agreement. If the US was serious Bush would have had the balls to phone Karamanlis and lay down the law to him!
Bush should have told Karamanlis:
a/ Recognize the Republic of Macedonia by its constitutional name, or else!
b/ Recognize the ethnic Macedonian minority in Artificial Greece, or else!
c/ Don't veto Macedonia's NATO bid, or else!
d/ There is no such thing as "Greek Macedonia"  
e/ You are not a Macedonian (let alone a Greek)
f/ Stop falsifying Macedonian (and Proto-Slav Pelasgian Greek) history, or else!
 
By Igor D.

Opinions

Reflections of the Name Dispute

By Ohridski Komiti

http://www.maknews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=8962

Introduction
1) My argument stems directly from the principle of self-determination for all peoples and the principle of state sovereignty. These are right’s which are enshrined in the United Nations Charter and a host of other international charters, treaties, declarations, conventions and resolutions. In the following two sections, I will briefly summarize the principles of self-determination and state sovereignty to provide context and emphasize their fundamental importance in the maintenance of our current international order (relations between states) and the free development of states and their peoples. I will then relate it to Macedonia.

Self-Determination
2) The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, for example, recognizes that all peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

3) This is a fundamental principle for the establishment of an independent state. In the Macedonian case it provides the legal and moral foundation for the Macedonian people to establish an independent and sovereign state through which they can freely determine and pursue their own future as they see fit, without hindrance from other peoples’ or states.

State Sovereignty
4) The United Nations Charter provides for two important principles on state sovereignty. It recognizes that in order to guarantee the peaceful coexistence of states, the UN is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members.

5) Further, it determines that all Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

6) The two codes in 4) and 5) above provide Macedonia with a second, and equally important, legal and moral principle through which to freely determine its own independent course without hindrance from other states.

The Name
7) By virtue of the principles and rights of self-determination and state sovereignty, Macedonia and the Macedonian people have the legal and moral freedom to not only determine and pursue their own independent course, but also freely determine the symbols demonstrating their sovereignty (name and flag).

8) By virtue of the principles above, the Macedonian people do not need to apologise for or excuse their use of the Macedonian name. They simply need to reiterate their right and freedom to use it as they please.

9) By virtue of the principles above, the Macedonian people and the Macedonian state does not need to negotiate or ‘appear to negotiate’ as some apologists like to say. There is no obligation on them to undermine their own fundamental rights and freedoms.

The Interim Accord
10) The rights of self-determination and state sovereignty are enshrined in international law and in the case of self-determination, are inalienable. Therefore no bilateral treaty or Interim Accord (or any other contractual arrangement) can strip a people or a state of the right to freely determine its own existence and development.

11) Calling on Greece to abide by the Interim Accord in effect calls on Macedonia to do the same and reinforces and legitimizes an injustice that is contrary to the above principles. Such an action erodes and undermines Macedonian sovereignty and self-determination. Such an action reinforces and legitimizes the forced change of Macedonia’s flag, the amendment of its constitution by another state, the forced use of the infamous ‘former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’ and the abrogation of its moral responsibility towards the Macedonians in Egej.

An Alternative Vision
12) The Macedonian people, and in particular their leadership, may need to demonstrate some vision and look at alternatives beyond the EU and NATO if Greece cannot respect our fundamental rights. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I do have some suggestions. For example, with the signing of this ‘special military agreement’ between Macedonia and the United States, what is the purpose of NATO? If Macedonia’s defense requirements are met through an alliance with the United States, why compromise or “modify” the name? In relation to the EU, there are other trade organizations, such as the European Free Trade Association, which actually recognizes Macedonia’s name that Macedonia could join.

Fundamentals
13) The most important point I do want to make is that before people and organizations go out and publish their thoughts, they really need to understand the fundamentals of the topic. They also need to critically think their arguments through to their logical conclusions and make sure that they are not inadvertently suggesting something which may be contrary to the very aims they are trying to achieve.

Concerns

Concern for our past is a foundation of our identity, said Gruevski, at the gathering of the Macedonians from Aegean Macedonia

      Skopje, 11 May (MIA) - Today the gathering of the Macedonians from the Aegean part of Macedonia was held in the recreation center "Saraj" in Skopje, 60 years after their exile from Aegean Macedonia.
      Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski addressed the gathering, which was organized by the Coordinative Committee of the Associations of Macedonians from the Aegean part of Macedonia.
      "When I speak of our history, my feeling and intention is best described by the once premier of Israel, Ehud Barak, spoken in the year 2000 at a conference for the holocaust. Although I have forgiven, I have sworn never to forget a thing and to remember everything. The concern for our past and never forgetting, is yet another attribute of the civilized world. That is a basis of identity", said Gruevski.
      "There exists no administrative method for removing the feeling of who you are and what you are. Yes, with force one may suppress and subsequently hide the existence of a truth, but that cannot be eternal. I understand the fear of our southern neighbour. That is not a fear from us, a fear of any pretensions, that is a fear of the truth", added Prime Minister Gruevski.
      The attendees at the gathering are to sign a declaration on the genocide of the Macedonians at the hands of the Greeks.
      Planned for the gathering is a rich cultural program titled "Unwavering light", with performances by Cultural Dancing Group "Tanec" from Skopje and "Drimkol" from Vevcani.

Hello Risto

      I was writing a poem last night, my poem referred to encouraging all Macedonians who are able to, to revert to their original Macedonian names. I understand that those living in Aegean Macedonia cannot, but what is our excuse: Is it too much trouble; we do not want to displease the Greeks; we do not want to spend the few dollars it would cost to do so. Or what?  We cannot afford to be complacent. We have to fight the wrongs done to us on many levels, as individuals, not only be at the mercy of the big powers and their decisions. We can change our names, revert to our original names, it is within our power. If we deal with smaller things first, the bigger ones will follow, such as world recognition.  As there have been other campaigns, let us start this campaign. Names are labels that we place on ourselves; they reflect our images of ourselves and our self esteem. Do we want to carry a false image of ourselves as being Greeks, when we know that we are not? Every day that we refer to ourselves by our false names we wound ourselves and diminish ourselves. Every time we mention our Greek names especially to Greeks we are saying you have won. I am one of you. You are the master I am your slave. I will do your bidding.   Psychologically names have a lot of influence on how we think about ourselves. I like to use the story of a bear being fenced in a 5 by 5 meter area. It paces up and down in this confined area but cannot escape. When after protests by animal rights workers, the fence was removed, the bear still stayed within the confined area. It did not know any differently, as this is what it knew, despite it being restrictive. The bear was too scared to venture out to greater freedom and possibilities.  But that was a bear, we are intelligent human beings. Those now no longer living in Greece, in the free world, no longer have to live by the Greek constraints. Again I ask: Why are so many Macedonians around the world still carrying Greek names sometimes into the second and third generations? The Greek names were imposed on us, they were not our original names or ones of our choice. Before we expect the world to free us, let us start by freeing ourselves of these chains now. Let us also think of the man in the story below, as to what he would have done, if he had a choice between naming his daughter Donka or the Greek imposed name. He had no choice, we in the Diaspora do. Let us put our freedom of choice to good use and be what we were meant to be. This would benefit us individually psychologically as it will be liberating and it will also be of benefit to Macedonia.

By Lita Grakini

Choices

      But as you do not see the necessity of giving up the ancient error of your forefathers in obedience to these teachers [of ours], what teachers of your own do you maintain to have lived worthy of credit in the matter of religion?
      For, as I have frequently said, it is impossible that those who have not themselves learned these so great and divine things from such persons as are acquainted with them, should either themselves know them, or be able rightly to teach others. Since, therefore, it has been sufficiently proved that the opinions of your philosophers are obviously full of all ignorance and deceit, having now perhaps wholly abandoned the philosophers as formerly you abandoned the poets, you will turn to the deceit of the oracles; for in this style I have heard some speaking.

      Therefore I think it fit to tell you at this step in our discourse what I formerly heard among you concerning their utterances. For when one inquired at your oracle--it is your own story--what religious men had at any time happened to live, you say that the oracle answered thus: "Only the Chaldaeans have obtained wisdom, and the Hebrews, who worship God Himself, the self-begotten King."
      And I think it necessary also to consider the times in which your philosophers lived, that you may see that the time which produced them for you is very recent, and also short. For thus you will be able easily to recognize also the antiquity of Moses. But lest, by a complete survey of the periods, and by the use of a greater number of proofs, I should seem to be prolix, I think it may be sufficiently demonstrated from the following.
      For Socrates was the teacher of Plato, and Plato of Aristotle. Now these men flourished in the time of Philip and Alexander of Macedon, in which time also the Athenian orators flourished, as the Philippics of Demosthenes plainly show us. And those who have narrated the deeds of Alexander sufficiently prove that during his reign Aristotle associated with him. From all manner of proofs, then, it is easy to see that the history of Moses is by far more ancient than all profane(1) histories. And, besides, it is fit that you recognize this fact also, that nothing has been accurately recorded by Greeks before the era of the Olympiads, and that there is no ancient work which makes known any action of the Greeks or Barbarians. But before that period existed only the history of the prophet Moses, which he wrote in the Hebrew character by the divine inspiration. For the Greek character was not yet in use, as the teachers of language themselves prove, telling us that Cadmus first brought the letters from Phoenicia, and communicated them to the Greeks.
      And your first of philosophers, Plato, testifies that they were a recent discovery. For in the Timaeus(2) he wrote that Solon, the wisest of the wise men, on his return from Egypt, said to Critias that he had heard this from a very aged Egyptian priest, who said to him, "0 Solon, Solon, you Greeks are ever children, and aged Greek there is none." Then again he said, "You are all youths in soul, for you hold no ancient opinion derived through remote tradition, nor any system of instruction hoary with time; but all these things escape your knowledge, because for many generations the posterity of these ancient ages died mute, not having the use of letters."
      It is fit, therefore, that you understand that it is the fact that every history has been written in these recently-discovered Greek letters; and if any one would make mention of old poets, or legislators, or historians, or philosophers, or orators, he will find that they wrote their own works in the Greek character.

By Jus Divinum

Free Advice

"It's all Greek to me"

      Does anyone recall the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”? Do you remember the scene where the old man, the Greek, said to his daughter’s finance, “when your people were swinging from trees, mine were discussing or inventing philosophy” or something close to that.
      I have always thought to myself: here is this stupid, dumb, uneducated, insensate, Greek making a stupid, dumb, uneducated, and insensate remark that defies logic, history, and common sense.
      One wonders how the Greeks managed to invent so many things, esp. in light of the fact that many civilizations pre-date them, from Africa, to South West Asia, to the Far East.
      One would think that the claim “Father of Medicine” bestowed to Hippocrates would have long ago been abandoned as utter folly and falsehood. But, alas, ‘tis not to be! Consider our Greek friends remark about philosophy and swinging from trees in light of Hippocrates. Before Hippocrates was born, before there were city states, the Egyptians, Chinese, Indians, and others had long ago invented medicine. But no European will admit this. The East is renowned for their history of medicine, ying and yang, acupuncture, ayurveda, and the like. There are herbal formulas from India, such as chavanprash, that date back thousands of years before Hippocrates.
      As for Herodotus, the so called father of history, does not Moses, and many other figures of the ancient world predate him and yet they were historians? How come Herodotus is called the “Father of History?” you ask, because he is a Greek and a European.
      It is so humorous and yet sad how the world crowns our Greek friends with so many accomplishments that were invented by so many others hundreds, if not thousands, of years heretofore any notion of “Hellene” city states. Our Greek friends, like Andreas, will quickly point out that the Greeks invented much but what they borrowed they built on. In other words, the Egyptians and Babylonians invented certain types of math but the Greeks made use of it and perfected it. A whole lot of rubbish as far as I’m concerned. I don’t deny that ancients Hellenes contributed to the world, like all peoples, but to suggest or assert that everything is Greek or of Greek invention or fancy, is nonsense.
      Why can’t we for once give credit to the real inventors of civilization: to the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, Israelis, Lebanese, Chinese, and so forth. Why can’t we admit that the Greeks merely endeavored to build up on their work, much like the Romans built up on the Greeks work?
      And for once, why can’t we admit that the Greco-Roman world is built on lies. And that so many historic figures were not “Hellenes” though proclaimed to be such. We need a revolution—one centered on information. We need to overthrow and subvert the status quo on history.

By Jus Divinum

History

Stories

RETURNING HOME TO MACEDONIA

      Mid July 2007 we arrived at the Athens airport and went through the EU gate. As we were arriving from another EU country, there was no passport check. We caught a bus into Athens and went to our hotel. It was about 40 degrees Celsius. Athens was very hot, crowded, dirty with piles of garbage on streets and very busy. My partner and I did the usual tourist things:  Tour of the city, went to the museum, out for meals and went to the Acropolis. One evening we went to the Dora Stratou theatre. The open air theatre is Greece’s pride and joy and attracts a lot of tourists. We had missed the first few minutes, but as we sat down the presenter was discussing, I assumed, dances and customs in Alexander the Greats’ time.  Prior to the first of the (Greek?) dances with accompanying music being presented, from we were told Florina (Lerin). I certainly knew from where these dances were, as I could not keep my feet still. They were not Greek but Macedonian. However the vast majority of the theatre goers would have been completely oblivious to this. I do not remember the word Macedonian or Macedonia being mentioned on the night. The night of proud depiction of traditional Greek folk dances, comprised almost entirely of predominantly Macedonian and some Turkish (Pontian) dances. We spent 3 days in Athens. The weather and atmosphere was quite suffocating and hard to get used to.

      From there we took a six hour bus trip to Thessaloniki (Solun). This city was quiet and calm  in comparison to Athens. Aristotle Square was very impressive, as were the wide streets and the nearby sea. I immediately felt more at home and remember thinking, did we (Macedonians) really give this up, before reminding myself, no we did not give this city and Macedonia up. They were taken from us.

      We did tourist things and went to the tourist bureau. They were quite helpful and gave us a list of “domatia”, rooms to let, for some of the villages that we planned to visit. My plan was to stay in Macedonian people’s homes, in the Kostur and Lerin areas, but this did not work out too well, as any rooms for accommodation had to be registered and had to meet a certain criteria. Further without having our own transport, it was easier to stay in hotels in places like Lerin and Kostur and then travel to the villages.

      During our walks around the city of Solun, we asked a man for directions, after which he attached himself to us for a while. He considered himself very intelligent and knowledgeable and told us that Alexander the Great was Greek, because he spoke Greek. We did not bother to argue with this very self opinionated man. Obviously he did not see any faults with this argument. We just detached ourselves from his company and continued to explore the city.

      There were many hawkers and people competing for business. We went to the Macedonian Struggle Museum. It was certainly interesting. There were several maps in the museum of Macedonia. Of particular interest was a map depicting Greece before 1912 and after. I find it interesting that Greece claims that Macedonia is Greek, yet in their museum on the wall there is clearly a map showing when Greece took Macedonia over. I do not know how the Greeks justify this to themselves.

      I did not hear any Macedonian spoken anywhere in Solun. The Greek propaganda seems to have succeeded. On one occasion I was in a store purchasing an outfit. In my not so good Greek, I was carrying out the transaction. As it often happened in such cases I was asked where I was from and about speaking some Greek. I answered that my first language is Macedonian, which I speak much better than Greek. The manager was there and I believe the man present was her husband. The man said to the woman in Greek: “What is this Macedonian, I have never heard of Macedonian” referring to the Macedonian language. The lady said: “Eine Vulgari more, afti eine Vulgari” (she is Bulgarian); perhaps not realizing that I understood. Again there was no point getting into an argument with these people. Either they were completely ignorant or had convinced themselves to believe the Greek lies. By their appearance I suspected that they may have been Pontians from Asia Minor.

      After a few days in Solun we traveled by bus to Ooranopolis. I stayed there over night and my partner went to Mt Athos. Women are not allowed to go to the monasteries. All the peninsula and the area around Ooranopoulos, (I do not know its Macedonian name), is a major, major tourist area. I could not help thinking that a good way to get to the Greeks is through their tourism, which is a major money earner for them. If they are completely exposed for how they treated Macedonians and what they stole from us, including our history and attempts to steal our identity, won’t the tourists protest by boycotting Greece as a holiday destination? Therefore forcing the Greeks to own up to their many bad deeds? Yes I know it is a fantasy, but anything can happen in life. I was amazed to see how popular this area was for vacations. There were many hotels in the area and the outdoor markets sold many icons, maps and books on Mount Athos and other topics.

      We returned to Solun and went to Pella, we visited the excavations and the statue of Alexander the Great on his horse. Then we went to Veria and Vergina. I was surprised to see the royal tombs turned into a museum. I do not remember this being the case on my last trip here over 25 years ago. There was a tourist shop for purchases. The royal palace was closed for excavations as were the theatre and cemetery.  It was a strange feeling, to know that all this is part of my land and history, yet others are taking credit for it and I am the one who is left to feel like an outsider.

      We returned to Solun and had dinner in a taverna across from the sea. This was very pleasant and cool in comparison to the heat of the day.  The sea in Solun is the first that I had ever laid my eyes on, at age seven, before migrating to Australia.

      After almost a week’s stay in Solun we caught a bus to Bulgaria, as my intention was to visit all four parts of Macedonia. The bus depot was quite good.  I was excited at visiting Pirin Macedonia, as it was to be my first trip there. We had to present our passports at both the Greek and Bulgarian borders, which we found interesting as they are both EU countries. I was a bit apprehensive at the Greek border, due to my place of birth on the passport indicating Bapchor. After long waits to get our passports back, everything was OK.

      We got off the bus in Sandanski and walked about a kilometer with our luggage, into town. I approached a lady on the street in respect to accommodation. She did not understand Macedonian or English but did know Greek, as she had worked in Greece for some time. She directed us to excellent accommodation at very reasonable cost.

      We were only three days in this area, but it was very memorable. We walked in the city square, visited an interesting museum, shopped, talked to the locals and went to interesting places to eat. The city square area was reasonably quiet during the day, but at night it came alive. We walked through the park and discovered a Macedonian wedding with traditional Macedonian songs. Generally this area was a lot poorer than Greece. The market and other businesses seemed to be just waiting for clientele. They did not appear to be making a great living.  I experienced some difficulty with the language. I was told that I had forgotten my Macedonian, which I have, to a considerable extent. But I suspect that the Macedonians here, mixed a lot of Bulgarian in with their Macedonian and that was why I had difficulties communicating. Most of our travel comprised of using taxis. We went to Petrich and Melnik on a day visit.

      On the way to Petrich we visited the Shrine of Fadea and the hot springs. A lot of time was not spent in Petrich, as it is a very small township. We spent longer in Melnik and visited a winery in a cave which was pleasantly cool in comparison to the summer heat outside. The main street is very much on a slope, with quaint interesting houses. I am not sure as to how the majority of the people earned a living. I was informed that Greece had built a factory in Pirin Macedonia near the border and employs the locals.  However I did not meet anyone who actually worked there. I expect labour would be cheaper here than in Greece. This could be the reason for the factory. I did not observe much growth in the fields in this area. There were always a lot of cab drivers around. Having tourists like us was good for business. However I was told by one Macedonian driver it was difficult for them to earn a reasonable living. His dream was to improve his English skills to such an extent that he could go and work somewhere else, such as in England. Returning back to Solun by bus was not problematic as far as my passport was concerned. I was apprehensive about this until I got through the “Greek” borders.

      From Solun we traveled to Lerin. I tried to locate a house near one of the bridges along the river, where my mother and I stayed overnight when we were destitute after our village was destroyed in the Greek Civil War. I would have been well under 4 at the time. I believe I found the house and took a photo of it, but I am not sure it was the right one. Distant relatives lived there at the time. I believe they later migrated to Australia.

      We did touristy things and wanted to rent a car so we could visit Macedonian villages, but it was impossible to do so, as there were insufficient cars for rental. Therefore we depended on walking, taxis and busses. However, I read that Greece has the highest car accident rate in the world. Considering this, we were not too disappointed at not driving around. We used Lerin as a base while we traveled to the villages. It appeared that there were a lot fewer busses going to the villages now, than what I remembered on my previous trip, about 25 years ago.

      One transport information office was staffed by very arrogant Greeks, giving conflicting information, very loudly. With obvious disdain for anyone who did not speak fluent Greek. We did tourist things in Lerin.  On very rare occasions we heard Macedonian being spoken there and certainly not once in Solun or later in Kostur. This was a disappointing. 

      I noticed street and road name signs in Lerin indicated “The Hellenic City” on them. Total time spent here was one week. We caught a taxi to Krpeshina, a place I lived in from around perhaps age 3 to 7. We visited two houses that my mother and I lived in, with relatives. Both houses are now abandoned and falling. Amazingly several villagers recognized me, even though I was very young when I left. We reminisced. I felt sad as they did for our tragic history and our losses and suffering. I felt especially sad to have been deprived of my father due to him being killed during the Greek Civil War. They were very difficult times.

      I visited my first school. I had memories of starting school and from the very first day being expected to speak Greek. Greek teachers were sent to the villages to teach Macedonian children Greek. I learnt quite quickly but I understand children who did not were punished by the teachers, especially the boys.

      To my great pleasure there was to be a dance on one of the evenings, which was to be held in the school yard. I love dancing and it reminded me of when as a small child I danced in the school yard. On a couple of occasions I remember as a child being propelled from the “pashka’ (tail) end of the dance, to lead the dances, because I danced so wholeheartedly and with such passion. What was amazing about the dance on this day was that Macedonian songs were sung in “Macedonian”.  I was told that in the past, this was not allowed by the Greeks. Now I understand that the villagers no longer cared about what the Greeks wanted. They had been intimidated enough. I sensed contempt for the Greeks. Many of the lyrics of the songs were quite political. I wish that I had tapes of some of the songs that the band were playing and singing. About 1,000 people were present from surrounding regions. It was interesting to see so many cars in a place where I only remember donkeys used as transport.

      I visited Krpeshina on two occasions and met many people there. They said that, not many of the people who left to migrate overseas returned for visits. I got the impression that they felt like the forgotten people. Some were perplexed as to why I chose to visit. Especially as I no longer had living relatives there. My Macedonian was adequate enough in this area to be able to communicate reasonably well. Not so however later in Skopje.

      From Krpeshina we walked to Neret, it was extremely hot. It was about a 45 minute walk. Later I learned that not long ago a bear was seen standing in the middle of the very road that we walked on. At a later stage on our way to Zhelevo, we saw a sign saying “Beware of Bears”. I tried to locate some relatives who I visited on my previous trip to Neret, 25 years ago. I was informed that the remaining living relatives had moved to Lerin. I caught up with them later. I talked to some locals and met a man who knew not only my father, but his father (my grandfather).  He organized for someone to take us to Bapchor.

      As I was too young to remember Bapchor when I lived there as a small child, this was a very interesting experience for me. The church was rebuilt, I believe, by Stace Zaikov, a Bapchorian. Unfortunately the church was closed for fear of damage to it. I thank Mr Zaikov for rebuilding the church. No one has lived in Bapchor since its total destruction. Babchor is built on a mountain side. The ruins of the school are still visible, but the remains of the houses are almost covered by vegetation, as the area is completely overgrown. All 180 plus houses and a population of 1,000 or more no longer exist in the village. Many were killed during the war and those still living are scattered around the world. The houses in Bapchor were three storey with the animals housed on the ground floor, especially for their survival during the cold winters. On the front of the now rebuilt church there is plaque, with the names of the people who lost their lives in the civil war, including that of my father.

      The gravestones and cross markers with people’s names in the cemetery behind the church, I was informed, were purposely broken up by the Greeks, so that they could not be read and identified. Due to the damage to the graves and the overgrowth, it was impossible to find any graves of my ancestors. I feared venturing too far due to the possibility of there being snakes in the long grass. What a sad thing it was for people to lose their homes, orchards, animals and family members. 

      Getting to Bapchor was quite difficult, and took perhaps an hour or more by car. I also visited Lagen briefly. I was informed that only 6 families live in this village now.  Villages being emptied of their inhabitants was unfortunately common.  I certainly felt a connection to Bapchor, Krpeshina and Macedonia generally. We had a picnic in Bapchor on top of the destroyed village and outside the church. I tried to absorb everything about the trip and my experiences. But generally visiting this part of Macedonia was quite emotional and overwhelming. I visited several other villages in this region including that of an uncle that I did not know that I had. There was much discussion about relatives and our history. It does not seem that life in the villages has changed much. Life is basic, the older people are still with donkeys, goats etc. Many younger people have moved to the cities like Lerin for work.

      I was told that though Macedonians in this region have a few more rights now than in the past, the Greeks still pedal their propaganda, especially through the very young in schools. The assumption is that the Greeks are waiting for the present older generations of Macedonians, those who know the real history and have lived through it and experienced the difficult periods, to die out. Then they believe the Greek mentality will pervade. They would have convinced all Macedonians that they are Greek. But I wonder if they have convinced God of this. He knows the truth about our history. How do the lies about Macedonia sit with their consciences? I wonder do the lies that they tell about Macedonia ever cross their minds while they are in church, supposedly being good honest Christians?

      As far as Grkomani are concerned, some no doubt are. Others while still staunch Macedonians, compromise to some extent, to ensure that their children are not mistreated and can secure decent jobs.

      Prior to leaving Lerin I visited Vinozhito. I had the pleasure of meeting Mariana and Pavle. We discussed my trip and matters relating to the struggle of the Macedonians of this area. I also collected two books on their work and the ABECEDAR in Macedonian Cyrillic. This was a pleasant visit. They are doing a great job.

      After leaving Lerin we headed towards Zhelevo by taxi. Our accommodation here was a bit out of the town. That evening we walked to the township. We met a lady who told us that in the past there were 1,700 people in Zhelevo, now only about 70. She also told us not to walk too close to the buildings, as they are crumbling and stones are falling down. There was certainly evidence of this and we were more careful for the rest of our walk.  There was not very much to do where we were staying. There did not seem to be other guests in the cabins. I believe it is busier in winter as people stay here to go skiing. I was impressed by the elderly Macedonians in the villages, as they were very friendly and open about sharing their histories. Of course their histories are very much like mine and others of that time. With the exception that they are older and had a lot of first hand experiences, as well as their memories to share.

      On another day we decided to go to Prespa, which is beautiful. The taxi left us at Agios Germanos. I do not know how this area got its name or its Macedonian name. This area seemed very fertile with beans and eggplants growing. Generally we walked between the villages, found a place to have lunch and visited the Prespa Information Centre, which had information on the preservation of the lakes and wildlife in the area. We spent a day here and on the way back, I asked the taxi driver to drop us in Oshchima for a while. This driver was Greek and tried to discourage us from seeing the village, as he said there was nothing there. However I insisted. We got off in the middle of the township near the post office, had a walk around and talked to a villager who came out.

      I explained that there was a book on Oshchima and I have read information on the village, that was why I was interested in visiting. He said others have stopped to see the village for the same reason. I took some photos and had a look around.  Because of the heat there were not many people around. I was told that in the past the population would have been about 1,300, now only 30. The village was like many other sad Macedonian villages.  I would have liked to have spent more time here without the taxi driver waiting for us, especially in the coolness of the evening.

      My initial plan was to walk from where we were staying, to Zhelevo and then to Oshchima. But I was told that this was dangerous, as there are a lot of wild dogs around. I am particularly scared of dogs, as I was severely bitten at about age 6 in Krpeshina. That is why we relied on a taxi for transport to Oshchima.

      We left Zhelevo sooner than we planned and got a taxi to Kostur. The road was good without too much traffic. We settled into the hotel then decided to explore the city. We also found two tourist offices within close proximity to each other. We were given directions, maps and pamphlets, all in English. We walked around the lake, which was green with possibly algae, had lunch and explored the city. We went to a church and lit candles. I could not help thinking of the importance of Kostur to my origins.  As possibly this would be where there would be records of not only my birth, but if not destroyed, all the records of my forebearers. Nevertheless with only a few days here, it was not the right time to seek such information. I did not hear the Macedonian language spoken anywhere in Kostur. People asked me frequently as to where I was from. I said that I was from a village close by, which is now destroyed and uninhabited, as I did not want to use the Greek name. 

      One lady insisted on the name of it, not thinking that she would know the village by its original “Bapchor” name I said that the Greeks now call the village ……, giving the new name. She did not know it by the “new” Greek name, but certainly knew the original name. But instead of calling it Bapchor she called it Bapchori. Which I know in the past, was the Greek modification of the original name. This incident stayed in my mind, in particular because of my later experiences at the Greek border control, on my way to the Republic of Macedonia.

      We got on the ferry on the Kostur lake and saw the mountain Vicho, from many directions. The temperature was pleasant unlike the heat we experienced previously. The city seemed nice and clean, especially in comparison to Athens. The people seemed to have a different character here, especially in comparison to those living in Athens. Generally the further north of Athens the more people seemed to be calmer, less loud and frantic and more dignified.

      We saw an interesting fortress wall and a lot of old churches. There were many restaurants around the lake and a lot of furs in shop windows. We visited museums and talked to the locals. I wanted to meet some Macedonians, to discuss the area and what life was like here, but the opportunity did not arise. We caught a local bus to see the local villages, stopped in one called Mavrohori, in Greek. We were only 3 days in this area. This did not seem enough time for what the city has to offer. Generally it appeared that Greece has done a reasonable job of Hellenizing the city. No doubt there are pockets of staunch Macedonians here but I did not find any in my short visit. We caught a bus and then changed busses to return to Lerin. It was nice going through the villages by bus. However it felt very hot in the bus, it did not seem to have any air conditioning and we were concerned about some of the unsafe practices. Such as the driver driving too close to other vehicles and talking on the mobile phone while carrying a bus full of passengers.

      We arrived in Lerin and met with our prearranged taxi driver to take us through the border into the Republic of Macedonia. Not all taxi drivers can do this, as they require an up to date passport to go through the borders. I was told that the Greeks try to frustrate people from these regions in  their attempts to get passports, by delays and expenses. I was informed that many people would like to visit the Republic of Macedonia for many reasons, including shopping, but this was not easy from the Greek side.

      I was hot and tired after my long bus trip from Kostur to Lerin and apprehensive about going through the “Greek” border control.  At the Greek border, our taxi driver (a Macedonian) took my and my partner’s passports, while we stayed in the taxi, to take to the border control guards/officers.  The return of the passports was taking a very long time. I of course knew that it was my passport that was problematic. I can see the taxi driver animatedly talking to the border control officers.  Later I learnt that he was trying to get them to let me through. I was told that they wanted to know how I got in the country.  After an uncomfortable long period I saw the driver come to my side of the taxi. He told me that he tried to convince them to let me go through but was not able to do so, despite the currant state of Bapchor. They insisted that they wanted to see me and directed him to bring me to them.  They asked the taxi driver if I knew any Greek. He said “No” but he will translate for me in English.

      Generally they told me that they were not happy with my passport, that it was incorrect. They directed me to change the name of the village of my birth, on it. That unless I do so, I will not be allowed back into Greece again. Stressing this point. There were two officers, the elder looked at my eyes and face intently. I do not know what he made of my blue eyes and fair skin. I just looked blankly at them. Too tired to argue, knowing that no good will come of it. In my mind I had visions of the sorry state of my village, where once it was full of life and beauty. Especially known for being progressive for its time, and the beauty of the young women, many who later died as partisans.

      At the border control there were posters of what I assume were wanted and dangerous people. I could see the stupidity of stopping a mature aged woman, a professional with no police record like myself, as if indeed I was a criminal. Wanting me to falsify my Australian passport.  Trying to intimidate me into putting “their” new imposed Greek name on my passport.  All this fuss about a village that they destroyed. Robbing me of a home and birthplace and especially of a father. With his remains and that of other young Macedonians scattered in the mountains where they died. What utter nonsense about the name of my birthplace on my passport. When even some of their own Greek people do not know the village by the Greek name. Instead many know it as Bapchor or Bapchori. I wonder for how much longer will this nonsense continue? When will the world wake up to the truth of what we Macedonians have experienced and are still experiencing. When will the truth of our history be acknowledged?

      On my original Greek passport the name of the village of my birth is indicated as “Bapchori”. I and others from Bapchor have always known the village as Bapchor. With the change of the names of the villages to Greek names, Greece is trying to hide the truth. The fact that the village is now destroyed by the Greeks and emptied of its people, makes the insistence on the Greek name particularly cruel. Having taken everything from us, now they are trying to misconstrue and rob us of our memories.

      In the past many people from Aegean Macedonia would have traveled to new countries bearing the original Macedonian names of their villages, as their place of birth on their passports.  These people when returning to their homeland, if like me, do not want to accept the new Greek name on their current passports, can if they wish have a copy of their original passport with them. To show at the border, should they experience difficulties. After all the Greeks cannot deny the passports that they themselves issued. However please note I said copies not the original, to avoid the passport being defaced or destroyed.  I am told that the border control guards are not above doing this, if they do not like what is written.

      The border control officer of the Republic of Macedonia was perhaps wondering as to what was happening at the Greek border. No doubt he could see our vehicle stationary there for a long period. What “criminal’ did the Greek police manage to catch? The taxi driver, when we approached the border, as he handed over our passports must have mentioned to him what happened at the Greek border. Here our passports were quickly stamped and returned to us. I waved to the border guard from the taxi. He returned my wave. I felt immediately safer. Then I saw the current Macedonian flag. At last I felt that I could relax. We proceeded to Bitola.

By LG

Words

BIBLE & KORAN

      Bible (as per the dictionary); the sacred writings of the Christian religion, consisting of Old and New Testaments.
      Koran (as per the dictionary); the holy book of Islam, believed by Muslims to contain things made known in Arabic by Allah directly to Mohammed. However, the true origins of these two terms go back further in time...
      -Thousands of years ago the Hyksos of Lower Egypt (the territory which is closer to the Mediterranean) inherited the religion from the (dark) Upper Egyptians.
The Upper Egyptian Ko-ra, the "life giving"-"Sun god" to the Hyksos became b-le, "(Zhi)v(i)-li".
*Bib-le > Viv-le > the "life giving" "Iliy".
      The pre-historic proto-Slav tribes of the entire southern Balkans were the descendants of the Hyksos of Lower Egypt. 
      The (real) Grekos were a group of southern aegean proto-Slav Pelasgians who lived at Argaea or Achaea (the town of Argos at Morea and its surrounding territory).
From 1,600 bc onwards "Ko-ra" (not "Zhivi-li") believing Sub-Saharan/Afro-Asiatic colonists started to arrive at Morea and the Aegean islands. They began to, and ultimately assimmilated with the local proto-Slav Pelasgian Grekos (Argaeans). The Sub-Saharan/Afro-Asiatic colonists did not penetrate north beyond Mt.Olympus.
      From 825 bc (north of Mt.Olympus) the expanding ancient Macedonian state began to form when a select group of indigenous, purely proto-Slavic tribes united (pure Pelasgians among them).
      *The Jews/Israelites themselves, were 'later' descendants of the Lower Egyptian Hyksos. Before this migration though, the Hyksos themselves were also comprised of 'other related peoples' whom had migrated back to Lower Egypt. 
 
-Part 2

OLYMPUS, KORAVOS, KARANUS & PHILIP
 
      The ancient Macedonian state was to the north of Mt.Olympus. Olympus is a proto-Slavic, religious term.  (H)o-lym > (zHiv)i-li > the 'life giving'-'Iliy'. pu-s > (p>b>v) > bo-zh > (zhi)vo-zh(e) > the 'living'-'Zeus'. "The 'life giving' 'Iliy' (gave birth to) the 'living' 'Zeus'.
      Now, "Koravos" (Ko-ra-vo-s) also translates to Olympus! How can that be? Koravos, infact, is an Upper Egyptian, Sub-Saharan/Afro-Asiatic term! 
      Legend has it that a king called "Karanus" established the Macedonian (Argead) royal dynasty! This choice of name does not come as a surprise. The (proto-Slavic) ancient Macedonian elite also did adopt, and use, the hybrid "koine" language of the time which already had been used for centuries around the Mediterranean.
      Philip II was king of Macedon from 359 bc to 336 bc. He incorporated "other" indigenous proto-Slavic tribes into the Macedonian kingdom (approximately up to where the present day northern border of the Republic of Macedonia is). Philip too expelled the hybrid Eur-African City State colonists from the coast at Chalcidice. The Macedonians called the City State Eur-Africans "Danaians"!  
      Philipos is a proto-Slavic, religious boys name. (Ph>f>v) Vi-li-bo-zh > (zhi)Vi-li - (zhi)vo-zh(e). Philipos = Olympus! KING PHILIPOS OF MACEDON, NOT KING KORAVOS!!! 
 
-Part 3
KARAMANLIS & KARATZEFERIS 

      The family of Kostas Karamanlis, Prime Minister of the modern, artificially created "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Anti-Slav Buffer State" (Not Greece), not surprisingly, originates from Asia. Kostas > Kos > Gos > Zeus. Karaman > Man of Kara (the 'life giving' Sun God 'Ra'), not "(zhiv)I-li"!
Another non-Greek - non-Elline - non-Macedonian - "Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic" - Imposter-Politician has the surname Karatzeferis.
Ka-ra > the 'life giving'-Sun god 'Ra', tze > Zeus, fer > ver! > faith/belief in.
"Faith/belief in the 'life giving' Sun god 'Ra', (father to) Zeus".
      *Herodotus was a 5th century bc Eur-African hybrid - imposter-historian who lived at "Karia", a region near the coast at Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). When the 19th century Great Western Powers artificially created the Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic they wrongly imposed the proto-Slavic name of Greece on the forged state. "The Republic of Karia" could have been a better option. Though, "Arvanovlachia" is still a better name because it is more representitive of the population.
      *According to the imposters at www.macedoniaontheweb.com:
      -Kara is a word that derives from central Asia, as the Turkmenistanis used the word 'kara' meaning black. (Reply: Kara is an ancient Upper Egyptian religious term. The Upper Egyptians were dark people. It too is well known that the ancient deites were black!)
      -Karanon means 'ruler', 'head', 'leader', 'king', 'royal master', etc. (Reply: Yes it can mean all these titles, as the root meaning is "the supreme, 'life giving' Sun god 'Ra'"!)
      -Karaman is the first ruler of the Karamanids that migrated to Anatolia from Azerbaijan!
      -'Karamanlis'; His surname is merely taken from the Turkish place name (Karaman) where part of his family originates!
 
BY Ljupco (Lju > Iliy, not Rapco!)
 

Book and other Reviews

Macedonia and the Macedonians: A History

Author: Andrew Rossos
ISBN: 978-0-8179-4882-5
Pub Date:  May 15, 2008
Product Format: Paper
Availability: Out of stock. Backorder policy Not yet published. Will ship on: May 15, 2008
Price: $25.00

      Throughout history, every power that aspired to dominate the Balkans—from the ancient Romans to Bulgaria, Greece, and Serbia in the age of imperialism and nationalism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—has sought to control Macedonia. But although Macedonia figured prominently in history, it remained a little-known land until the nineteenth century. This detailed volume surveys the history of Macedonia from 600 B. C. to the present day, with an emphasis on the past two centuries. It reveals how the so called Macedonian question has long dominated Balkan politics, and how for well over a century and a half, it was the central issue dividing Balkan peoples, as neighboring nations struggled for possession of Macedonia and denied any distinct Macedonian identity—territorial, political, ethnic, or national.
      The book shows how, during the long struggle for Macedonia, some ethnic Macedonians adopted or had to adopt the national identity of one of the competing nations, most chose a Macedonian identity—and how Macedonia's struggle to establish a distinct national identity goes on even today. The author concludes that Balkan acceptance of a Macedonian identity, nation, and state has become a necessity for stability in the Balkans and in a united Europe.

Also Available As: Macedonia and the Macedonians: A History

Binding: Cloth
ISBN: 978-0-8179-4881-8
Price: $40.00

Poetry

НЕ МЕ ЗЕВАИ, НЕ

То, шо е да научим

Не е, научено, не

То шо си  родена да правим

Не е, направено, не

Лошо шо имам видено

Не е, простено, не

Све шо треба да видим

Не имам, видено, не

Тиа  шо се  да и научим

Не се,  научени, не

И све шо треба да свршим

Не и имам, свршеио, не

Дур да видим моја Македонија, па да биди  цела

Госпо мои

Не, не ме зеваи, не

Од  Лита Гракини

DO NOT TAKE ME, YET

That, which I am to learn

No, it is not learnt, yet

That which I was born to do

No, it is not accomplished, yet

Bad that I have experienced

No, it is not forgiven, yet?

All that I am meant to see

No, I have not seen, yet

All who I am to teach

No, they are not taught, yet

And all that I need to complete

No, has not been completed, yet

Until I see my Macedonia, again be united

My Lord, I ask you

No, do not take me, yet

By  Lita Grakini

PESNA ZA GOTZE DELCHEV

Na chetvrti maj devet sto i treta
vo borba zagina Gotze Delchev.
Zhivotot go dade za Makedonija,
Makedonija - slobodna da bide!
Makedonija - slobodna da bide,
Zemja Makedonska na Makedontzite!

Ot Shar Planina do Egejsko More
i ot Ohrida do reka Mesta,
staro i mlado se to se razplaka,
se se razplaka za Gotze Delchev!
Se to se zhivo ime Makedonsko,
se se razplaka za Gotze Delchev!

Nema go vekje nash Gotze Delchev
Makedonsko zname da ni razveje.
Ama na narodot kletva mu ostavi :
da se bora, da ne se predava!
Da se bora, da ne se predava,
Makedonsko ime da ne zaborava!

Ne moj da plachish moj narod poroben,
na kletata sudba krajo ke j dojdi.
Sudbinata tvoja togash ke ja kazhish,
Makedonski Narod svoboden ke bide!
Makedonski Narod svoboden ke bide,
Zemja Makedonska na Makedontzite!

Posted by MrVichMac

From the Archives

Ilija Dimovski – Gotse’s Story

Part 11

The two-faced politics if the Greek Communist Party

By Risto Kirjazovski (Nova Makedonija)

Translated from Macedonian to English and edited by Risto Stefov

      In order to remove them from the spotlight in Aegean Macedonia, Zahariadis sent them to Yugoslavia. The outstanding Macedonian leaders of MANLF Mihailo Keramitchiev, Ilija Dimovski – Gotse and Vangel Ajanovski – Oche were sent to the Republic of Macedonia to recruit new fighters for DAG from the Macedonian immigrants, but were never allowed o return

      The aim of the leadership of the Communist Party of Greece, in mobilizing the MANLF cadres, was to decapitate and disorientate the Macedonian national liberation movement. That can be supported by the fact that the mobilized cadres, with high political functions and with many years of revolutionary experience, were labeled as deserters, or habitual fighters, which had a bad reflection on the entire Macedonian population. The well known Macedonian activist Micho Velakov, lieutenant-colonel of DAG, in his letter of November 26, 1948, addressed to the political commissar of DAG’s General Headquarters, in relation to the above, among other things wrote: “Most Macedonian cadres are now subservient in DAG. For example, Lazo Poplazarov and others who have distinguished themselves as leaders in the struggle, are made into common fighters whereas the Greek cadres from Bulkesh, Vojvodina, are immediately given responsible positions as quartermasters to the political commissars in the brigades, responsible for the security of the battalions, from whom several have deserted. Naturally the above wrongdoings are distinctly opposite to the high functions given to me and Todor Gluvchev which in the eyes of the more senior cadres of MANLF, discredits us, given that we have less experience than them yet we occupy higher position...”

      On account of the MANLF leaders Mihailo Keramitchiev, Evdokia Nikolova – Vera, Vangel Ajanovski – Oche, Ilija Dimovski – Gotse and Pavle Takovski who did not find understanding, respectfully their proposals and pledges to settle this difficult situation between MANLF and the Communist party of Greece, in regards to asking for help from the Central Committee of the Communist party of Yugoslavia, were rejected.

      In the Communist Party of Greece’s planning framework for completely eradicating MANLF, by a personal request from Zahariadis the first MANLF plenum was held on August 8, 1948, during which Mihailo Keramitchiev, the president and Paskal Mitrevski, the secretary of MANLF were suspended and replaced with trusted people, exactly the kind Mitrevski supported. Above being suspended, Mitrevski, even though he supported the constant changes of cadres recommended by the Communist Party of Greece, was further attacked and criticized because he did not prevent the infighting in the organization which caused it to split into two factions.

      Miltiadis Porfirogenis, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece, in his discussions, strongly attacked Ilija Dimovski – Gotse commenting that: “Gotse remains at the same position as the reactionaries who say Macedonia is Greco-sized.”

     With aims of removing the old leadership of MANLF from the limelight of Aegean Macedonia, Zahariadis made the following very clever move. Namely, on September 24, 1948 under his leadership in Vicho he held a conference with the Macedonian cadres in DAG, with whom, among other things, he dealt with solving the problem of lack of strategic manpower reserves in DAG. The sole source for solving this problem, it was pointed out, lies in the political émigrés who had fled to Yugoslavia. During the consultation it was decided to send Mihailo Keramitchiev, Ilija Dimovski – Gotse and Vangel Ajanovski to Yugoslavia with the task of recruiting fighters for DAG from the ranks of the Macedonian émigrés from whom it was promised would be formed separate Macedonian units in the composition of DAG. Ilija Dimovski – Gotse and the others, believing that there truly and finally would be a Macedonian army created, left home with enthusiasm. On September 25 and on October 3, 1948 the secretariat of MANLF introduced resolutions to the recommendations made at the consultation. During the September 25 secretariat meeting Ilija Dimovski – Gotse was asked to attend, who in his discussions, among other things, said “I figure DAG has no success because of what Zahariadis had said. Maybe I made mistakes like many others who had made mistakes, but that does not mean that I was unsuccessful and that I don’t have basic abilities”.  The MANLF secretariat decision for sending the most outstanding Macedonian leaders to Yugoslavia was immediately carried out.

Hope and doubt

      Immediately after receiving confirmation from the Yugoslav authorities, Ilija Dimovski – Gotse, Mihailo Keramitchiev and Vangel Ajanovski – Oche began the recruitment process with much success. In a very short time they were able to get commitment from more than 300 Macedonian men and women, a number which could have become realistically larger with time. Unfortunately their efforts were made difficult and eventually cut off because given DAG’s performance, there was doubt among the Macedonians that it was capable of winning the war.

      The leadership of the Communist Party of Greece, besides that which was already declared, explained that it would remain outside of the conflict between the Communist Party of Yugoslavia and the Inform-bureau, however, it very quickly changed its attitude and actively began its anti-Yugoslavian campaign.

      To overcome the problems between the two parties, in February 1949 under the initiative of the Yugoslav leadership, a delegation from MANLF and from the Communist Party of Greece lead by Miltiadis Porfirogenis, the member of the Communist Party of Greece’s Central Committee, was sent to Skopje and had discussions with Lazar Koloshevski and Tsvetko Uzunovski – Abas.

      The first meeting was held on February 8, 1949 at 13:00 hours where Porfirogenos outlined his questions which his leadership wanted to discuss with the Communist Party of Macedonia. 

Repeated but Unsuccessful Attempts

      On behalf of the Communist Party of Greece, Porfirogenos requested from the Yugoslav authorities to allow his party to mobilize the entire adult Macedonian émigré population in Yugoslavia for the war effort and to return the rest of the refugees back to Greece.

      It is understandable why such demands and requests where unacceptable and could not be granted by the Communist Party of Macedonia, therefore the meetings were unsuccessful.

      In spite of his trashy talk and slanders about Mihailo Keramitchiev, Ilija Dimovski – Gotse, Vangel Ajanovski - Oche, and Stefana Vangelova – Slavianka, Porfirogenis, at his own insistence, on February 9, 1949 decided to hold a meeting with them.  The purpose of the meeting was to get them involved in his mobilization program.

      During the meeting, after Krsto Mangov, a member of the visiting committee spoke, Ilija Dimovski – Gotse took the stand and informed the committee that he, Keramitchiev, Oche and Slavianka came to Yugoslavia under direct orders from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece to recruit new fighters for DAG. To complete that task, continued Gotse, conferences were organized in which DAG’s needs were publicized and the importance of creating Macedonian partisan units was emphasized. It was stressed that this need would serve the Macedonian people militarily in the combined struggle with the Greek people.

      As a result of this, said Gotse, we recruited 300 Macedonian men and women. Unfortunately, our efforts were not only not supported but they were sabotaged by representatives of the Greek community in Bulkesh, Vojvodina and by the representatives of the Communist Party of Greece – DAG in Skopje. As a consequence of all of this, said Gotse, many Macedonians, including some leaders of MANLF became suspicious and believed they were lied to by Zahariadis, especially about his decisions and statements made regarding the formation of Macedonian units.  There is enough convincing evidence there to make us believe that the Communist Party of Greece is leading two-faced politics. As a closing argument Gotse said this: “This resulted in urging the refugees and fighters to tell us that in order for them to go and fight down there they would need written guarantees from the democratic leadership of Greece, they have been lied to many times. First and foremost they would require written guarantees that Macedonian units would be formed and would be allowed to exist. And because of these shady politics not only can we not find new recruits, but we can’t even hold the 300 who already gave us their commitment.” Keramitchiev, Oche and Slavianka more or less also said the same thing.

      After the meetings in Skopje, the leadership of the Communist Party of Greece began an unprecedented smear campaign against the above mentioned MANLF leaders calling them deserters, traitors, etc. Unfortunately having no other means by which to defend themselves, they decided to answer to the slanderous remarks by writing a letter addressed to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece, in which they addressed each of the accusations.

      At the end Keramitchiev and Ilija Dimovski – Gotse, to do one better regarding the conflicting recommendations and in the interest of the liberation movement, put a motion before the leadership of the Communist Party of Greece to satisfy the needs of the Macedonian people with regards to forming their own Macedonian units with their own headquarters in the framework of DAG. This is to be done by a written agreement. If such an agreement is signed, Gotse and Keramitchiev promised to deliver not hundreds but thousands of fighters to Greece to continue the struggle.

Famous Resolution

      This letter served Zahariadis well as motive to call on the leadership assets of the Communist Organization of Aegean Macedonia (COAM) on June 20, 1949, which devised the famous resolution under the title: “Resolution of the leadership assets of COAM for the nationalistic traitors Keramitchiev-Gotse”. After that Mihailo Keramitchiev and Ilija Dimovski – Gotse broke all relations with the Communist Party of Greece and DAG and remained in Yugoslavia.

      Ilija Dimovski – Gotse became active in the political life in the Republic of Macedonia in various different functions. He died in Skopje on June 26, 1961.

(The End)

Feedback

Risto,

      I applaud your ability to respond rationally to the Greek provocations. That is how we get results in this world. I don't know how many people have been feeling as I have, that it is very hard not to develop hard feelings toward Greeks, in general, and then catch yourself just reacting emotionally. I've watched clips of Dora Bakoyanis lying about Greek friendly intentions towards the Republic of Macedonia and caught myself shouting and swearing at the screen . To learn that 90 percent of the Greek nation approved of their government's veto of Macedonian admission is discouraging. To also have so many proofs recently that Greece and the Greek people are prepared to openly and illegally abuse their Macedonian neighbors to force their will upon them. They openly declare to US diplomats that they are dedicated to destroying the Macedonian identity. They appear willing to use every means short of open military attack to destroy the Republic of Macedonia. And the vast majority of the Greek people will approve all of this. I am an American. Born in America, but with Macedonian heritage. I have always wanted to believe that I was not infected with the Balkan disease of hatred of all of the peoples who were not my own Balkan people. I studied in Bulgaria twice. I spent two summers staying with an old uncle and his son and their Albanian partners, shepherds, up in a bachilo on Shar Planina, helping tend a large flock of sheep. I visited Greece twice, spending a week at Mt. Athos and visiting the monasteries, and playing on the beaches near Salonika and visiting the archaeological museum. But now I seem to have become mired down by the weight of too much knowledge of the cruelty and the injustice of the governments and too many of the people of the Balkans. I don't want to hear or see Greeks, or visit their restaurants or hear their music or eat their food. To hate generically and irrationally is a terrible thing. I can always say to myself that they started it, but it is my responsibility to rise above the primitive emotions that their behavior evokes.  I want to find people of all ethnicities who can rise above primitive hatred and support justice for all. Love your own and respect and admire the cultural achievements and unique ways of all others. Where are the Greeks who can share these values with me so that I won't hate an entire people irrationally? I understand that 10 percent of the Greek population say they didn't like the veto against Macedonia. It seems that that might be a start. That was probably the base of white Americans that Martin Luther King had to start with when he worked for civil rights justice for Black people in America. Cynics will probably tell me that those ten percent in Greece were the openly non-Greek people of Greece. So who is there to talk to, to join in coalition with, to take the first steps with?

Michael Seraphinoff

Zdravo Risto,

      I just finished reading your latest installment, and it just brings back unpleasant memories.  I went to Greek school in 1966-72 and that corporal punishment for speaking Macedonian was still used by the Vlach teacher brought in from Epirus, -"ti milate afti to gyftiki glossa" [why you speaking this gypsy tongue] was the teacher's words as they hit us with their hands or haraka (this was the official strap, a half inch square ruler with metal corners ) or Verga (a tree branch usually brought in by a student upon the teacher's request to have available just for this purpose).

      Also regarding the given names, Boris B. told me that in Armensko at that time there were two boys named Boris, one was renamed Panayiotis and the other Eleftherios - talk about alien names.

Pozdrav, Goche

Hi Risto
 
      In reference to the Bulgarians I have also read that today’s Bulgarians are a mixture of Turks and Slavs. For example the Bulgars were a Turkic tribe that settled in what is now Bulgaria and mixed in with the local Slavs thus creating the modern Bulgarian.
      Secondly if our official language was Greek I do not think there would be any arguments from anyone. Alexander the Great spoke Greek as did Phillip because Greek was the international language of that time. Most Greek propagandists use this by saying that the Ancient Macedonians spoke Greek. Today in Britain English is the official language for Scotland, Ireland, Wales, etc. But Irish, Scots and Welsh don’t call themselves English. If we made Greek an official language I believe who would probably gain all of historic Macedonia in years to come. The Greek argument is based on language. It does not mean we are Greeks by making Greek an official language. Risto don’t get me wrong it is just an idea. For example in South America there are many independent states that speak Spanish i.e. Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, I think you understand were I am coming from. My Parents can speak both languages but have only taught me and my sister Macedonian.
      Thirdly I picked up an old edition of World Book Encyclopedia 1978 and under the heading Ancient Greece stated that from Mt. Olympus down was the main part of Ancient Greece including some overseas colonies. There is no mention of Macedonia in a Greek kingdom. There you have it. We Macedonians just happened to be speaking Greek at the time.
 
Food for thought. Have a great day
George M.

Bravo Risto, an excellent Article.
 
      Another strategy should be by our Government to kick out all Greek Businesses in our country. We are allowing them to own us. There are plenty of other European or Asian countries we can do business with. Unless Greece recognizes us by our constitutional name and recognises a Macedonian community in Northern Greece WE WILL NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM.
      Kick out their businesses. The Turks kicked out Greek businesses in 1955 and so did the Egyptians under Nasser in the 1950s and 1960's. Let us not be fools.
 
Take care my friend, GM. 

RE: "ALEKSANDAR" article (last issue)

      The "ALEKSANDAR" article in last month's Macedonian Digest was very interesting. I'd like to add to the discussion if I may. Like Aleksandar, another Slavic boys name is "Bozhidar".
Bozhi > Bo-zhi > (zhi)vo-zhe > the 'living' 'zeus' & dar > 'gift'.
Translation: "The living zeus (from the Sun god 'Ale' was a) gift to humanity".
"Bozhi" and "Aleksan" are clearly proto-Slavic, pre-Christian religious terms!!!
Furthermore, "dero" (dros) is simply a later hybrid koine word meaning 'gift' which was derived from the earlier proto-Slavic word 'dar'.
The citizens of the Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic say "Alexein" means to protect/defend. Well, in Macedonian  "Gospod" (pod>vod) napre means God (Zeus) to lead, protect/defend in front!
The citizens of the Southern Balkan (Mediterranean) Republic ARE NOT explaining the "root" meaning of the word Ale-ksan-dar!
Ale-xan-dros is merely a later hybrid koine pronounciation from the earlier proto-Slavic Aleksandar!  
 
By Sash   

RE: Scota and Gaedel -part 5
 
      Risto, I have put together a reply to this article after gathering some information from earlier Macedonian Digests.
 
1. All the pre-historic, proto-Slav tribes of the southern Balkans and the Aegean islands (from at least 7,000 bc to 1,600 bc) can most likely trace their origins back to the territory of Lower Egypt (which is actually near the Mediterranean). In other words, the pre-historic Lower Egyptians may have "first" spoken a proto-Slavic language, that is, before they migrated to the southern Balkans and dispersed into separate tribes! Then, as time went by, both the remaining Lower Egyptians and the individual proto-Slav tribes of the southern Balkans individually developed their own unique scripts to record their separately evolving languages. (There is the spoken language first, then an appropriate alphabet is designed in which to write it).   
2. Thousands of years later (after 1,600 bc) "Sub-Saharan/Afro-Asiatic colonists" arrived at Morea (the Peloponnesus) and the Aegean islands. However, these Sub-Saharan/Afro -Asiatic colonists (dark -Upper Egyptians, Ethiopians, etc?) would have first colonized Lower Egyptian (Hyksos) lands. The extent of influence on both the Lower Egyptian Hyksos and the southern Aegean Pelasgians is debatable?
(*Before 1,600 bc the southern Aegean Pelasgians would have spoken a proto-Slavic language and would have had their own unique alphabet. Was it proto-Cyrillic or proto-Slavic Cretan Linear A? Around 1,450 bc, their indigenous language was replaced by an 'early hybrid Koine language' based on the "Linear B script"! As mentioned earlier, there is the spoken language first, then an appropriate alphab