Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 3 april 2019
Selfie diplomacy: North Macedonia, Greek leaders break ice

By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES staged several large rallies
COSTAS KANTOURIS in Athens and other cities
Associated Press to try and press the govern-
SKOPJE, North Macedo- ment to abandon the deal.
nia (AP) — The prime min- Greece opposed the use
isters of Greece and North of the name Macedonia,
Macedonia broke the ice arguing that it posed a
and engaged in selfie di- threat to its own administra-
plomacy Tuesday during tive region of Macedonia
the first ever official visit by a and well as the region’s an-
Greek leader to the neigh- cient history and heritage
boring country following that includes the legacy of
decades of strained rela- the warrior king Alexander
tions over a name dispute. the Great. Distrust among
North Macedonia Prime Balkan nations over bor-
Minister Zoran Zaev held up ders, ethnic minorities, and
a cellphone while standing national narratives dates
beside Greek counterpart back more than a century
Alexis Tspiras, snapping the when countries in the re-
historic selfies outside the gion fought the Ottoman
main government building Empire and each other to
in the capital, Skopje. establish and expand new
The former Yugoslav re- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras , left, embraces his North Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev, nations. That hostility was
public officially changed during a Join news conference and after their meeting in Skopje, North Macedonia, on Tuesday, maintained by wars that
its name earlier this year April 2, 2019. only ended in the late 1990s
from Macedonia to North Associated Press following the breakup of
Macedonia, settling a dis- of what was the former Yu- space. Tsipras traveled to has increased more than the former Yugoslavia.
pute over its name with goslav republic of Mace- Skopje with 10 Greek Cabi- 20%. North Macedonia is Western governments en-
Greece that lasted nearly donia. Now we will no lon- net ministers and more than due to become the next thusiastically backed the
three decades. ger have this nonsense. We 100 business representa- member of NATO after deal, wary of rival influence
“We have lost a lot of time might fly around here just to tives. Speaking at a forum Greece dropped its objec- in the Balkans by Russia,
and now we must rapidly say hello.” on economic cooperation tions. Both Tsipras and Zaev which views NATO’s expan-
catch up,” Tsipras told re- Leaders and ministers from between the two countries faced strong domestic op- sion as a threat.
porters at a joint news con- the two countries signed later Tuesday, Zaev said position to their agreement “It is a milestone to be
ference. “We want to build multiple friendship agree- Greece was North Mace- reached last summer to leaving all these difficulties
a strong bond of trust and ments to establish embas- donia’s second-biggest normalize relations, resolv- behind,” North Macedo-
stability. sies in both capitals, ease trade partner in 2018 be- ing the emotive issue tied nia’s Zaev said. “We have
“When I used to take a trade barriers and for the hind Germany. He added in the two countries to na- showed Europe and the
plane to Europe, the pilot Greek military to police that since the name deal tional identity. Greek op- world that with bold deci-
would avoid the airspace North Macedonia’s air- was signed, bilateral trade ponents of the agreement sions anything is possible.”q

Iran says US sanctions impede flood rescue operations

By NASSER KARIMI preparedness.” “The re- emergency department
Associated Press gime blames outside enti- said 57 people have died
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s ties when, in fact, it is their in the flooding since mid-
foreign minister says sanc- mismanagement that has March. Mojtaba Khaledi
tions imposed by the Trump led to this disaster,” he said. was quoted by the state-
administration last year “The United States stands run IRNA news agency on
have hampered rescue ready to assist and con- Tuesday as saying another
efforts in flood-stricken ar- tribute to the International 478 have been injured, with
eas of the country, where Federation of Red Cross 19 still hospitalized.
nearly 60 people have died and Red Crescent Societ- Foreign Ministry spokesman
since mid-March, while the ies, which would then di- Bahram Ghasemi told IRNA
U.S. blamed the disaster on rect the money through the that because of the U.S.
the Iranian government’s Iranian Red Crescent for sanctions, all foreign bank
own “mismanagement.” relief.” In a tweet late Tues- accounts of the Iranian
Mohammad Javad Zarif day, Zarif called Pompeo’s Red Crescent are closed
tweeted late Monday In this Monday, April 1, 2019 photo, houses are covered by remarks “fake news” and and no foreign-based en-
that America’s “maximum floodwaters in the town of Mamoulan, in the western province urged the U.S. to accept tity is able to transfer funds
pressure” policy on Iran of Lorestan, Iran. responsibility for economic for those suffering from
“is impeding aid efforts by Associated Press pressures on Iranians. the floods. Local authori-
#IranianRedCrescent to all economic TERRORISM,” he sis that has ignited sporadic Iran has seen major flood- ties in the stricken areas
communities devastated tweeted. anti-government protests ing for the past two weeks have repeatedly asked for
by unprecedented floods.” U.S. President Donald Trump over the past year. in hundreds of villages, more helicopters to reach
He said the sanctions have restored crippling sanctions U.S. Secretary of State Mike towns and cities in the remote locations. Iranian
prevented Iran from ac- on Iran last year after with- Pompeo said Tuesday the western half of the country, state media said Tuesday
quiring badly needed drawing from Tehran’s 2015 floods show the “level of where in some places an that dozens of military and
equipment, including re- nuclear deal with world Iranian regime misman- emergency situation has Iranian Red Crescent heli-
lief helicopters. “This isn’t powers. The sanctions have agement in urban plan- been declared. copters are taking part in
just economic warfare; it’s worsened an economic cri- ning and in emergency The spokesman for the the relief operation. q