LEGISLATORS in Greece have ratified an agreement to end a near 30-year dispute over neighbouring Macedonia’s name in a vote intended to allow the small country to be renamed North Macedonia in its quest for Nato membership.
The deal passed with 153 votes in the 300-member parliament – jut two above the required threshold. It had faced fierce opposition and cost Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras his parliamentary majority after a right-wing coalition partner quit in protest.
Under the deal, Macedonia changes its name to North Macedonia and Greece will drop its objections to the country joining Nato and eventually the EU.
The vote came after three days of acrimonious parliamentary debate and numerous street protests, some of which turned violent.
Greece has long argued that use of the name Macedonia implied territorial claims on its own northern province of the same name.
ELSEWHERE, Roger Stone, a confidant of United States president Donald Trump, has been arrested in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia inquiry, charged with lying to Congress and obstructing the probe.
The indictment against Stone, a self-proclaimed “dirty trickster”, provides details about how Trump associates were aware in summer 2016 that emails had been stolen from the Hillary Clinton campaign and wanted them released.
It alleges that unnamed senior Trump campaign officials contacted Stone to ask when the stolen emails might be disclosed.
The indictment does not charge Stone with conspiring with WikiLeaks, the website that published the emails, or with the Russian officers Mueller says hacked them. Instead, it accuses him of witness tampering, obstruction and false statements about his interactions related to WikiLeaks’ release.
IN further Trump-related news, US diplomats have headed for Caracas airport in Venezuela after the country’s defence minister warned a US-backed move to remove President Nicolas Maduro could spark a civil war.
Defence chief Vladimir Padrino announced to the the nation that attempts to oust Maduro by opposition leader Juan Guaido could prompt “chaos and anarchy” as he declared his steadfast support for the president.
A letter from a US embassy security officer requesting a police escort for a caravan of 10 vehicles was leaked yesterday.
A defiant Maduro called all Venezuelan diplomats home from the US and closed its embassy in Washington on Thursday, a day after ordering all US diplomats out of the country by the weekend.
That followed Trump’s decision to support the claim to power by opposition leader Juan Guaido.
Canada, much of Latin America and many countries in Europe have also thrown their support behind Mr Guaido.
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