VMRO-DPMNE leader walks out of referendum debate in FYROM

A meeting of political leaders in Skopje on Wednesday evening to debate the referendum on the name deal with Greece was disrupted when VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski stormed out, claiming that not all parliamentary parties were represented. 

The meeting had been expected to set a date for the referendum, which, according to last month's deal, will be held in the fall.

FYROM's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev had said earlier that the meeting would "define" the referendum question and that he expected leaders to demonstrate their commitment to joining the EU and NATO. 

On Tuesday, Greece's Council of State rejected an appeal by local and overseas Macedonian associations against the deal's legality on the grounds it violates Article 27 of the Constitution, whereby any agreement affecting the country's boundaries needs to be ratified by an absolute majority of MPs.