PETITIONS FROM METROPOLIS OF CHICAGO, PAN-MACEDONIAN ASSOCIATION, USA, HEC AND οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½- N. & S. AMERICA WEBSITES, SENT TO ARCHBISHOP DEMETRIOS

οΏ½More than 20,000 signatures were collected in the month following our οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½ RegionοΏ½s call for a Petition Drive in response to the U.S. State DepartmentοΏ½s decision to begin referring to F.Y.R.O.M. as the οΏ½Republic of Macedonia,οΏ½οΏ½ announced οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½ V.P. and Regional Coordinator Chris P. Tomaras.  οΏ½The immediate response of Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago in the days following the State Dept.οΏ½s decision gave our Petition Drive tremendous impetus, and we are most grateful for His EminenceοΏ½s cooperation,οΏ½ Tomaras emphasized.
οΏ½The Pan-Macedonian Assn. USA, and its leaders at all levels, have likewise been tireless in their efforts, as have many other of our member-Federations, with the Hellenic Electronic Center (HEC) and our own website on the Internet playing a most important role as well.  We commend Archbishop Demetrios on the decision to have all the Metropolises in the U.S. join in a Petition Drive, and οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½ N. & S. America is pleased to be delivering to His Eminence binders with more than 20,000 signatures.  Added to all those received by the Archdiocese from all sources, and presented to President Bush and the Congressional leadership at the appropriate moment, we trust this effort will help our leaders in the U.S. focus on correcting the State Dept.οΏ½s clearly mistaken change in U.S. policy regarding F.Y.R.O.M.,οΏ½ Tomaras added.
οΏ½οΏ½Ε’S N. & S. AMERICA REGION HAS BEEN ACTIVELY MONITORING THE οΏ½MACEDONIAN ISSUEοΏ½ FOR YEARS.  WEEKS BEFORE THE U.S. STATE DEPT.οΏ½S CHANGE IN POLICY, V.P. TOMARAS HAD SENT PRES. BUSH A LETTER REGARDING SEC. RUMSFELDοΏ½S USE OF οΏ½MACEDONIAοΏ½ DURING HIS OCTOBER VISIT TO SKOPJE (SEE ITEM UNDER οΏ½PRESS RELEASESοΏ½ ON OUR WEBSITE), AND HAD BEEN IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH CABLE-TVοΏ½S THE HISTORY CHANNEL REGARDING THE SCRIPT FOR ITS SERIES ON ALEXANDER THE GREAT, WHICH AIRED IN EARLY NOVEMBER, 2004.  WHILE οΏ½οΏ½Ε’S MISSION IS NOT THAT OF A POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE, OUR REGION IS COMMITTED TO DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO DEFEND GREECEοΏ½S NATIONAL INTERESTS IN THIS ISSUE.