.jpg) |
| http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17037267 |
BBC NEWS
Eurozone crisis: Greece 'can't take any more cuts'
Thousands protested in Athens on Sunday as Greek MPs approved an austerity package
The Greek people have been pushed to the limit by austerity measures demanded by the EU and IMF, public order minister Christos Papoutsis says.
He said Greeks had made "superhuman" efforts, and "can't take any more".
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos says all remaining issues with the austerity package will be solved in time for a conference call with eurozone chiefs later.
Greece has been told to make deep cuts in return for a huge bailout package.
Athens is negotiating the terms of a 130bn euro ($170bn, £109bn) deal with the EU and IMF.
The Greek parliament approved an austerity package on the weekend, despite violent protests sweeping the country.
But eurozone ministers demanded a further 325m euros of cuts and insisted that all major Greek parties promise to enact the cuts regardless of who wins a general election scheduled for April.
Mr Venizelos said there were "very few remaining issues" with the austerity package.
He said they would be "fully clarified" by 18:00 (16:00 GMT), when the country's leaders are due to discuss the issue with eurozone chiefs.
But he also warned that some eurozone countries were "playing with fire", hinting that some member states no longer wanted Greece in the bloc.
Greek conservative leader Antonis Samaras, whose New Democracy party is a member of the governing coalition and is expected to win April's vote, had hinted that he would try to renegotiate the bailout deal after the election.
Earlier reports said Mr Samaras had refused to give a written assurance that the cuts would be enforced.
But unnamed officials were quoted on Wednesday as saying Mr Samaras had now signed a letter committing him to the austerity package, and it would be delivered by the end of the day.
After a cabinet meeting late on Tuesday, Mr Papoutsis, a member of the other major coalition party Pasok, said Greece had "made all the efforts that it needed to do".
"The people cannot take any more. The government is making superhuman efforts, and we have reached the limits of the social and economic system," he said.
"Greece has owned up to its own responsibilities, and the sacrifices of the Greek people are huge. I believe it is time for everyone to own up to their responsibilities."
Eurozone ministers were due to hold talks on the bailout on Wednesday, but eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker announced that the face-to-face talks would be replaced by a conference call.
He said Greece had not shown that it was committed to the austerity plan, and technical work was still needed "in a number of areas".
As well as 17 ministers from nations that use the euro, the president of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi and the Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, Olli Rehn, had also been due to attend the meeting.
The latest bailout was agreed in principle by EU leaders in October, conditional on Greece adopting further measures to cut its deficit and restructure its economy.
On Sunday, Greek MPs approved extra cutbacks, but coalition parties had to expel more than 40 deputies for failing to back the bill.
Thousands protested in Athens, where there were widespread clashes and buildings were set on fire. Violent protests were reported in cities across the country.
On Tuesday, an official report showed that the decline of the Greek economy accelerated in the final three months of 2011.
The estimate showed that, compared with a year earlier, Greek GDPd contracted by 7% in the fourth quarter of 2011.
That is an acceleration from the 5% contraction in the third quarter.
The report also shows that the Greek economy shrank 6% last year, an increase on earlier estimates and the fifth year of recession.
ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΥΤΗ ΤΗΝ ΔΗΛΩΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΥΠΟΥΡΓΟΥ:
"Αυτό που γίνεται σήμερα με την Ελλάδα είναι πρωτοφανές. Δεν έχω ξαναδεί τέτοια συμπεριφορά προς κράτος – μέλος.
Στη μακρά μου διαδρομή στα θεσμικά όργανα της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, ως Επίτροπος, Ευρωβουλευτής αλλά και ως Υπουργός, δεν υπάρχει προηγούμενο.
Οι θυσίες του ελληνικού λαού είναι δυσβάστακτες. Τα ασφυκτικά χρονοδιαγράμματα, τα σκληρά μέτρα λιτότητας προκαλούν έντονες κοινωνικές αντιδράσεις.
Αμφιβάλλω εάν άλλο Κοινοβούλιο στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση θα μπορούσε να αποδεχθεί ένα τέτοιο πρόγραμμα δημοσιονομικής διαχείρισης.
Ωστόσο, η Ελληνική Κυβέρνηση και η Βουλή των Ελλήνων δεσμευτήκαμε να το υλοποιήσουμε και να πετύχουμε τη σωτηρία της χώρας. Οποιαδήποτε όμως, άλλη εμπλοκή και νέες απαιτήσεις των εταίρων μας συνιστά εμπαιγμό της χώρας μας.
Είναι ωμός εκβιασμός της Ελληνικής Κυβέρνησης και του πολιτικού συστήματος στην Ελλάδα.
Είναι ευθεία προσβολή του Κοινοβουλίου , βασικού πυλώνα της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας.
Είναι ευθεία προσβολή της αξιοπρέπειας και της περηφάνιας του ελληνικού λαού.
Κάποιοι στην Ευρώπη ξεχνούν ότι πίσω από τους αριθμητικούς στόχους υπάρχουν άνθρωποι.
Αυτή η δογματική αντίληψη και συμπεριφορά που βλέπουμε, βρίσκεται σε πλήρη αντίθεση με την ουσία και το πνεύμα των Συνθηκών της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης. Όπου, ο αλληλοσεβασμός, η αλληλεγγύη και η δέσμευση στη διαρκή προσπάθεια για τη συνοχή της ευρωπαϊκής κοινωνίας, αποτέλεσαν τους ακρογωνιαίους λίθους του ευρωπαϊκού οικοδομήματος και τις προϋποθέσεις της κοινής πορείας των λαών της Ευρώπης."
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου