A decision by the president of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Branko Crvenkovski, not to run for re-election next year yesterday fueled concerns in Athens that the Macedonia name talks would be adversely affected by the withdrawal of the one moderate diplomat in the neighboring country.

The departure of Crvenkovski would clear the way for FYROM’s Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who has been decidedly intransigent in name talks and increasingly provocative toward Greece, diplomats in Athens said.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis was yesterday reportedly preparing his response to a letter, sent to him by Gruevski, calling for the recognition of a supposed “Macedonian minority” in Greece and the granting of rights to FYROM citizens who left Greece during the civil war.

US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Daniel Fried yesterday expressed “exasperation” at this move by Gruevski and noted that he had advised Skopje against raising the minority issue, sources told Kathimerini.