ATHENS, Nov 7 (AFP) - About 1,500 extreme rightwingers took to the streets of Greece's second city Sunday to protest against the recognition by the United States of a part of the former Yugoslavia under the name of Macedonia, Greek media reported.
The demonstrators, carrying Greek flags and shouting anti-American slogans, gathered on the seafront of the northern city of Salonika in front of a statue of fourth-century BC king Alexander the Great, a symbol for Greece of Macedonia's Greek identity.
Greece maintains that Macedonia -- one of six republics which formed the former Yugoslavia -- carries territorial claims on the northern Greek province of the same name, of which Salonika is the main city.
Athens has fought to prevent its neighbor from being recognized as anything but the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (FYROM) ever since Skopje declared independence in 1991.
The US decision infuriated Greece which has formally protested against the move and on Friday a government spokesman said Athens would veto Macedonia's entry into the EU and NATO if the dispute is not resolved.
11/07/2004 14:00 GMT - AFP