Greek opposition won't back deal on name unless Skopje changes constitution

Main opposition conservative New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis meets with journalists of the Foreign Press Association of Greece in Athens, Greece, April 12, 2018. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's conservative political opposition will not back a deal to settle a decades-old row with Macedonia over its name unless the ex-Yugoslav republic changes its constitution, its leader said on Thursday.

Athens and Skopje are negotiating to settle a dispute that has kept Macedonia from joining NATO and the European Union. Greece believes the name "Macedonia" implies a territorial claim over its northern region, which uses the same name.