Tuesday, 7 February 2012The Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos has said talks with the country's international lenders on a new bailout package are tough and will continue.
"Unfortunately I must say that the negotiations are so tough that each time we close a chapter another re-opens," Venizelos said.
"We must all together, without pettiness and without arrogance, fight this battle, to convince the Greek citizens, to give them a complete picture of the program, and to proceed toward a solution that we have chosen, which is to stay in the euro, to stay in Europe, and to fight to regain lost ground."
He was speaking after the latest round of talks with the so-called troika -- the European Union, International Monetary Fund, and European Central Bank.
The troika is demanding Greece accept more cuts to pension payouts, wages, and state sector jobs to secure the 130 billion euro ($170 billion) bailout.
Athens could face a default in March if no deal is reached by mid-February.
Growing impatient, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Greek leaders to act quickly on the deal.
This came after Greek political leaders from the conservative, socialist, and far-right parties put off till later on February 7 talks on the bailout.
Facing unemployment of 18 percent, Greece is in the fifth year of a deep recession and many Greeks are tired of austerity.
Alarmed at the prospect of more budget cuts, Greece's two main trade unions are calling a 24-hour strike to protest policies they say have only driven the economy into a downward spiral. |
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
RFERL
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