UN's International Court of Justice is going to make its ruling on the so called Macedonia-Greece name dispute on December 5, 2011, the Court has announced.

"On Monday 5 December 2011, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will deliver its Judgment in the case concerning Application of the Interim Accord of 13 September 1995 (the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia v. Greece). A public sitting will take place at the Peace Palace in The Hague, during which the President of the Court, Judge Hisashi Owada, will read the Court's Judgment," the ICJ said in a communique Thursday.

Macedonia is registered at international organizations as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia because of the name dispute, rather than Republic of Macedonia at Greece's insistence, which fears the name "Macedonia" might spur territorial claims for its northern regions.

Greeece has already exercised a de facto veto on Macedonia's NATO accession at the Bucharest Summit in April 2008.

Macedonia continues to have no date for starting the EU talks as the Council of the European Union has repeatedly put off grating the country a date, largely because of its name dispute with Greece.

Greece and international intermediaries have suggested that the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia should adopt a name such as "Republic of Northern Macedonia" or "Republic of Macedonia-Skopje", which have been rejected by the Macedonian authorities.

In its Thursday's communique, the UN Court reminds the history of the Macedonian name dispute case proceedings:

"On 17 November 2008, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia instituted proceedings against Greece for what it described as "a flagrant violation of [Greece's] obligations under Article 11" of the Interim Accord signed by the Parties on 13 September 1995" (see Press Release No. 2011/4).

By an Order of 20 January 2009, the Court fixed 20 July 2009 as the time-limit for the filing of a Memorial by the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and 20 January 2010 as the time-limit for the filing of a Counter-Memorial by Greece. Those pleadings were filed within the time-limits thus prescribed.

On 9 March 2010, the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia expressed a desire to be able to respond to the Counter-Memorial of Greece and the objections to jurisdiction and admissibility contained therein by means of a Reply, and to have available for that purpose a time-limit of approximately four and a half months as from the filing of the Counter-Memorial. The Government of Greece had no objection to the granting of this request, provided that it could in turn submit a Rejoinder and would have an identical time-limit available for doing so.

Taking account of the agreement of the Parties, by an Order of 12 March 2010, the Court authorized the submission of a Reply by the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and a Rejoinder by Greece. It fixed 9 June 2010 and 27 October 2010 as the respective time-limits for the filing of those pleadings. The Reply and the Rejoinder were filed within the time-limits thus prescribed.

Public hearings were held from Monday 21 March to Wednesday 30 March 2011. During the hearings the delegation of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was led by H.E. Mr. Antonio Miloshoski, then Minister for Foreign Affairs of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, as Agent and H.E. Mr. Nikola Dimitrov, Ambassador of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as Co-Agent. The delegation of Greece was led by H.E. Mr. Georges Savvaides, Ambassador, and Ms Maria Telalian, Legal Adviser, Head of the Public International Law Section of the Legal Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as Agents."

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