Gruevski and Papandreou will meet on the Greek side of Prespa Lake, which is divided between Greece, Macedonia and Albania, Skopje daily Vreme writes.
The two prime ministers are expected "to seek a formula" which would allow Greece not to veto a decision by EU foreign ministers, due on 7 December, to set a date for opening accession negotiations with Macedonia, Vreme explains.
Citing diplomatic sources, Vreme writes that Macedonia and Greece are meeting following strong pressure from European capitals. Until now, Athens and Skopje have been communicating indirectly over the 'name dispute' via an intermediary: UN mediator Matthew Nimetz, a US diplomat.
If Gruevski and Papandreou manage to come up with a "Solomon Decision", Gruevski would need to inform as soon as possible European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, with whom he has a meeting scheduled on 2 December, the daily writes.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, recently called on Skopje and Athens to engage in direct talks to solve the 'name dispute'. However, the bilateral talks do not mean that the UN mediation will be abandoned, the Macedonian press writes.
Despite the apparent goodwill, Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov hinted that a compromise would be difficult to achieve. He urged the media not to report unchecked information and cite unreliable sources.
Although little information filters from the negotiations, Macedonian agency MINA quotes Ivanov as criticising the latest Greek position. "The name process is in a sensitive stage and each one of us should act responsibly […] We consider the Greek positions to be extreme," Ivanov is quoted as saying.
A former Macedonian minister blamed the government for the lack of transparency over the negotiations. "[Prime Minister Gruevski] has to tell us whether he is ready for compromise or not, and what that compromise means," former Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva told A1 TV. Mitreva held the post from 2002 to 2006, when the Social Democrats were in power.
According to press reports, 'Northern Macedonia' could be one compromise to resolve the long-standing dispute, but disagreements and confusion remain as to the "internal" and "external" use of the name and as to whether a referendum should be held in the former Yugoslav republic to endorse the compromise.
If you would like to react to this article, please click here .
