Greece renews threat to veto Macedonia's NATO entry unless name dispute resolved

ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Greece's prime minister renewed a threat Friday to veto Macedonia's bid to join NATO unless the nations can resolve their dispute over the former Yugoslav republic's name.Greece argues the name «Macedonia» implies a territorial claim to a region in northern Greece with the same name. Macedonia denies the claim.«If there

is no solution, there will be no place for the neighboring country in NATO,» Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis told parliament.The warning came hours before senior diplomats from Greece and Macedonia were due to meet in New York with a special United Nations envoy, Matthew Nimetz, who is trying to broker a deal.«I appeal to the leadership of the neighboring country ... to work toward a solution that will benefit the stability, peace, and development in the region,» Karamanlis said.

«They are not well served by insisting on a historically false rationale and by displaying intransigence.Macedonia is hoping to be invited to join NATO in April. But Athens says it will block the its entry without a settlement.NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer will visit Athens Monday to discuss the dispute.