Brussels, 21/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 20 February, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle called - in a letter - on the prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Nikola Gruevski, and on the head of the opposition party Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), Branko Crvenkovski, to find a solution to end the current political stalemate, Füle's spokesperson stated on 21 February. In his letter, Füle “urged both leaders to continue efforts to find a solution to the current crisis based on political dialogue and compromise”, said Füle's spokesperson, Peter Stano, stating also that the Commission has underlined that “a solution must be found in Skopje”. Füle called on them “to rapidly reach a compromise which puts the country back onto its Euro-Atlantic path which is currently threatened”, added Stano. The European Commission is due to present a report in the spring on FYROM's progress, ahead of opening accession chapters.
Stano reiterated that Füle has publicly stated that the EU is ready to help in the dialogue. “We are ready to engage with the political stakeholders in finding a solution good for the country, but we need to see the will on their side. Under current circumstances we do not see an opening in this regard”, Füle has already said. The commissioner “is ready to go there anytime when the right conditions for a visit are created by the politicians”. On 15 February, Füle had not confirmed a visit planned for Skopje this week (see EUROPE 10787). (CG/transl.fl)