US angers Greece by recognising state's right to call itself Macedonia

The United States infuriated Greece yesterday by recognising a neighbouring state's right to call itself Macedonia, a name which Athens claims is only applicable to a northern Greek region once ruled by Alexander the Great.

After labouring under the acronym FYROM - Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - since gaining independence from Belgrade in 1991, the nation of 2.2 million celebrated a decision that was seen as reward for their support of the US-led coalition in Iraq. Macedonia has 32 troops in Iraq, while Greece opposed the invasion.

It was also construed as an attempt to defuse support for a referendum this weekend on a nationalist proposal to overturn a law giving more rights to Macedonia's ethnic Albanians, who make up about a quarter of the population and whose guerrilla army took the nation to the brink of civil war in 2001.

"Today is a great day for Macedonia and all Macedonians wherever they are," said President Branko Crvenkovski.

"This is a victory, that the United States has recognised Macedonia under her constitutional name," he added. "It is confirmation that, when you believe in something and work towards it, you will get results. I express enormous gratitude and I congratulate the United States for this decision." He was also quick to assure Greece that "the Republic of Macedonia is strongly determined to continue to build friendly and good neighbourly relations".

Foreign Minister Mr Petros Molyviatis cancelled a trip to a European Union summit to register Greece's fury at the move with US ambassador Mr Thomas Miller.

"I pointed out to the US ambassador the multiple, negative repercussions that this unilateral decision by the American government will have," he said later.

Greece, which argues that its northern province of Macedonia has the sole right to use that name and that its Balkan neighbour is implying a territorial claim by asserting its own right to use it, could now take action against the Skopje government.

Athens imposed a year-long trade embargo on landlocked Macedonia in 1994 because of the name dispute, and it nearly destroyed the country's economy.

The US told Greece its decision did not reflect an anti-Greek stance, an Athens foreign ministry spokesman said.

"Late in the afternoon, US Secretary of State [ Colin] Powell had a telephone contact with the Greek foreign minister to assure him that the decision is not a turn against Greece and is not linked to the US elections," spokesman Mr George Koumoutsakos told reporters.