ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A senior organizer of a rally planned in Greece's capital against a proposed compromise in a bitter name dispute with neighboring Macedonia says they hope to attract a million people to the march.

Organizer Stergios Kalogiros told The Associated Press on Friday that he was hopeful the Feb. 4 rally in Athens would draw huge crowds after the event won endorsements this week from powerful religious and local government organizations.

Greece says its neighbor's name implies a territorial claim on its own province of Macedonia, but both governments say they are ready to end the 27-year deadlock before the summer, adding a modifier like "new" or "north" to the republic's name.

The proposals have triggered protests in both countries, with critics viewing the possible deal as a national humiliation.