FYROM takes Greece to court over NATO

SKOPJE, Nov 17 (Reuters) - FYROM on Monday filed a lawsuit against Greece before the International Court of Justice in The Hague accusing Athens of blocking its NATO membership, the foreign minister said.

FYROM had hoped to receive an invitation to join NATO earlier this year along with Albania and Croatia. NATO-member Greece blocked the move because of a dispute over Macedonia's name, which is also the name of its northern province. 'We have thought this very thoroughly before initiating the case, but we don't see any other way to satisfy justice and protect our rights' said Antonio Milososki, Macedonia's foreign minister.

'We hope that this move will incite Greece to bring into accord its actions with the international legal obligations, and stimulate both sides to accomplish a final solution for the unsolved questions,' he said. In 1995, the two countries signed an agreement by which Macedonia agreed to use the provisional name 'The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia' in international organisations while Greece pledged not to block FYROM's integration into the European Union and NATO.

FYROM says Greece has violated the agreement. Greece objects to the name Macedonia, saying it implies a claim on the northern Greek province of the same name.