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[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:00.00]American Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has accused Russia
[00:05.72]of trying to influence a planned vote in Macedonia.
[00:12.22]The vote could open a path for the country to join NATO.
[00:18.62]Mattis spoke to reporters traveling with him
[00:22.56]to Skopje, the Macedonian capital.
[00:26.40]He said he had "no doubt" that Moscow had given money
[00:32.44]to pro-Russian groups to defeat the vote about changing Macedonia's name.
[00:40.48]A name change would end a dispute with Greece,
[00:45.24]which has territory of the same name.
[00:49.11]Greece has repeatedly blocked Macedonia's request to join NATO.
[00:55.74]Mattis said, "We ought to leave the Macedonian people
[01:00.83]to make up their own minds.''
[01:03.97]Macedonians will vote on September 30th to decide on the possible name change.
[01:12.72]In June, Greece and Macedonia agreed that Macedonia would change its name.
[01:21.29]In return Greece would end its objections to Macedonia's request to join NATO.
[01:30.07]Other Western leaders had accused Russia of interference in the issue earlier,
[01:37.54]including the Chancellor of Germany and the chief of NATO.
[01:42.73]In July, Greece expelled two Russian diplomats accused
[01:48.72]of giving money to groups against the name change.
[01:53.63]Russia objected to the expulsions as baseless.
[01:58.64]The dispute over the name began
[02:02.01]when Macedonia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.
[02:09.51]Greece argued that the use of the name was an insult to Greek history.
[02:16.12]Officials also said sharing the name could lead
[02:20.74]to a Macedonian claim on the Greek territory named Macedonia.
[02:26.99]More than 100 United Nations member-countries recognize Macedonia
[02:34.72]officially as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
[02:41.22]The vote will ask Macedonians to decide
[02:46.21]if they want to join the EU and NATO by "accepting the agreement
[02:52.77]between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece?"
[02:58.88]If the majority vote "yes" the country
[03:02.38]will be renamed the "Republic of North Macedonia."
[03:07.42]I'm Caty Weaver. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM