http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/14/europe/EU-POL-Macedonia-Government -Crisis.php
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE (FRANCE) Macedonian PM to meet president, political leaders in effort to stave off government collapse The Associated Press Friday, March 14, 2008 SKOPJE, Macedonia: Macedonia's prime minister will meet with the country's president and political party leaders Friday in an effort to find a new coalition partner and prevent the collapse of his government. An ethnic Albanian party walked out of the coalition government late Thursday, leaving Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's coalition with just 57 of parliament's 120 seats. Gruevski must seek a new coalition partner if his government is to survive. However, under Macedonian law there is no time limit for him to seek a new coalition partner, and there are several parties that are likely to agree to join his government. The Democratic Party of Albanians, or DPA, quit over demands that include the immediate recognition of neighboring Kosovo, social welfare for former rebels and making Albanian a second official language. President Branko Crvenkovski will meet with Gruevski later Friday, and the prime minister will hold talks afterward with the heads of political parties to seek a way out of the crisis. DPA's walkout comes at a sensitive time. Macedonia is embroiled in crucial negotiations with Greece, its southern neighbor, over its name. Athens has threatened to prevent Macedonia from joining NATO unless the dispute is resolved. Macedonia, along with Croatia and Albania, hopes to be invited to join NATO at the alliance's summit, which starts April 2 in Bucharest, Romania. Greece says the name "Macedonia" implies territorial claims on the Greek northern region with the same name. Talks on the issue have produced no results for years. U.N. mediator Matthew Nimetz has proposed five alternative names that Macedonia could consider adopting. On Thursday, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis met in Brussels with Gruevski, but the two made no progress in the dispute. Bakoyannis said U.N.-mediated talks on the issue, led by Nimetz, would resume in Vienna next week.
