Govt points to threats against FM over fYRoM 'name issue'; major rally on Sun.

Reactions over a resurgent effort this month to solve the fYRoM "name issue" continued unabated this week, with the latest development being anonymous threats against Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, some 48 hours before a major rally is planned in central Athens over the issue.

Greece's relevant public order minister on Friday revealed the threats against Kotzias, including a letter claiming that "three bullets" are reserved for him. In a later statement, the foreign minister said he considers specific "systems", publications and television stations as the "moral accomplices" behind the threats against him and his family.

He also called on the main opposition New Democracy (ND) party and even the Church of Greece's Holy Synod to condemn the threats.

The latest twist in efforts to resolve the 27-year-old difference separating Greece with its land-locked northern neighbor, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) follows high-profile contacts, negotiations and statements this month.

Although obscure by international standards, the issue entails dimensions of national heritage and historical legacy for the two states.

On Thursday, for instance, the foreign minister of the neighboring country, Nikola Dimitrov, said his government cannot negotiate the issue of "national identity", speaking in the presence of UN mediator Matthew Nimetz. The latter also said the issue of national identity has not been broached by the Greek side.  

Meanwhile, speaking in Skopje on Friday, fYRoM Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said a referendum in his country will serve as continued guarantee for Greece, given that it will eliminate any doubts on the part of Athens.

Speaking to the Bulgarian TV channel Nova, he also expressed a conviction that bilateral differences will be solved by June, allowing for an invitation to be extended to his country to join NATO - echoing a similar statement by Kotzias.