United Nations special envoy for the 'name issue' Matthew Nimetz arrived in Athens on Friday for talks with Greek leadership, meeting Prime Minister George Papandreou and main opposition New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras, as well as Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas.

   In statements after meeting Droutsas, he appeared hopeful that the differences in the positions of Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) will not prove insuperable.

   "There are different positions but we believe that there is a basis on which we can work," he said to reporters.

   The meeting was Nimetz's first with a member of the new Greek government under Prime Minister George Papandreou and was held at Droutsas's request.

   "It was a very good, open and honest dialogue, during which there was an overview of the process being carried out in the framework of the United Nations and a description of the current situation," foreign ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras said in a separate statement, adding that the "framework of the negotiations was discussed and placed on a proper basis".

   Nimetz said that he had briefed the Greek side on the results of his meetings in Skopje and on his thoughts about the process of resolving the dispute over the name, as well as hearing the views of the Greek government.

   He clarified that the Greek side had assured him of its absolute commitment to resolving the problem in a way that meets the demands of both sides, so that FYROM's progress to EuroAtlantic structures can be unblocked, adding that this would "proceed rapidly".

   Regarding the issues being examined during the talks, the envoy said that the issue of the name had been there from the start and remained the main one, while the others that arose over the course of time were secondary.

   In a press conference regarding the meeting, the foreign ministry spokesman commented on the statements made by Nimetz in Athens on Friday and Skopje on Thursday, saying the envoy had expressed a contained optimism and had discerned a desire on Skopje's part for progress on the issue.

   "We hope that these signs of a change for the better will finally find expression at the negotiating table," he added, and expressed hope that Greece's positive message "was finally beginning to be understood".

   Referring to Greece's stance on the dispute, he said that during talks the Greek side had "outlined the different thinking with which we are approaching the issue, the effort we are making to send a positive message to the other side and that it is importance that we meet with a positive response in order proceed."

   The spokesman pointed to initiatives taken by the Greek side, such as the meetings between Papandreou and FYROM premier Nikola Gruevski, "which have created a positive momentum for the process at the UN."

   Greece had also sent this positive message in the conclusions of the European Council in December, in which it had stateδ its desire for progress on the name issue so that FYROM's EuroAtlantic course was finally freed of obstacles.

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