The one-sided US decision to refer to The FYROM as the "Republic of Macedonia" is insulting to all Greeks-Hellenes wherever they reside, and accomplishes nothing aside from creating further divisiveness in the Balkans.

Macedonia as a historical, geographical and cultural term has been for thousands of years an inseparable part of Hellenism. The blatant fact of the Macedonian identity being Greek-Hellenic is confirmed by passages in the Old and New Testament, the Talmud, by writings and events of the ancient period, by treaties, wars, censuses from antiquity to the present. Historians refer to Alexander's Empire and the years that followed as the Hellenistic Period, proving the fact that the Macedonian identity and culture are identical with and inseparable from the Hellenic identity and culture.

If the United States aspires to adhere to democracy and the rule of law, we urge President George W. Bush and his administration to reconsider their position on this sensitive and fundamentally important issue, not only for Greece and The FYROM, but also for the stability in the Balkans. In the best interest of the US, we urge the President to reconsider this misinformed and ill-advised policy and to instruct the State Department to withdraw recognition of The FYROM as Macedonia and to encourage The FYROM to continue its diplomatic dialogue with Greece on the name issue in accordance with UN and EU directives.

The name "Macedonia", or any of its derivatives, cannot be awarded to The FYROM by any governmental authority of the world because simply it is not theirs to give. The term "Macedonia" is imbedded in and is an inseparable part of Hellenic heritage.