U.N. envoy works on Macedonia-Greece issue

SKOPJE, Macedonia, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- U.N. mediator Matthew Nimitz has offered fresh ideas but no ultimate answer for solving a name issue between Macedonia and Greece.

Nimitz said his new initiative didn't contain any concrete proposal but it should be used as a starting point for a just solution, the Macedonian Maxfax Online reported Friday.

Nimitz informed Macedonian and Greek ambassadors in the United Nations Thursday about his initiative and asked their respective governments to consider it before he visits Skopje and Athens later this month.

The Macedonia name question has been a sticking point in relations between the neighboring countries since the Skopje government seceded from the Yugoslav federation in 1991.

Greece is fearing the Skopje government by maintaining the name of Macedonia for its new state might also make territorial claims on Greek territory.

Macedonia is the name of a northern Greece region and the Athens government prefers Skopje uses the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or FYROM, the term it used which it joined the United Nations.