The Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has appealed for the rapid intervention of the European Union to prevent a speculation-triggered crisis across Europe.
Papandreou called for unity to deal with the financial crisis during an address to his cabinet and expressed his belief that the rescue package will bear fruit for the Greek economy.
The Greek Prime Minister also stressed that Greece has to correct the mistakes of many decades in a very short span of time and said that he would do whatever was necessary to protect the country from any danger.
Papandreou described the current crisis as being a challenge to the nation that concerns each and every Greek, adding that Greece can and will change.
The Greek Prime Minister said that talks on the activation of the rescue package will conclude soon.
He called on all Greeks to believe that the rescue package and the measures being implemented by his government will only inflict temporary pain on Greece and reiterated his government’s commitment to do whatever possible to protect the country from danger.
Papandreou said the situation was difficult not only in Greece but across Europe as well, but assured that Greece would assume full responsibility for the state it finds itself in.
The European Union however, should avert spread of the crisis across Europe, said Papandreou, emphasizing that it was not only Greece’s burden but Europe’s as well.
Main opposition New Democracy (ND) party leader Antonis Samaras criticised the government and the prime minister for his handling of economic policy issues whilost addressing a preliminary party congress conference on the island of Rhodes on Wednesday.
“Mr. Papandreou received a deficit problem from the previous government which, with his contradictory policy, turned into a borrowing crisis,” he said adding “we must not let the vicious circle of recession lead us to absolute collapse.”
Samaras said that “our target is for us to leave the control of the International Monetary Fund an hour earlier and to minimise the consequences of recession.”
The ND leader also referred to the issue of tourism, which was the object of the preliminary congress conference, pointing out that it must have special attention since it constitutes the locomotive of the Greek economy.
He expressed opposition to the proposal to abolish the tourism ministry and stressed that emphasis must be placed on the development of quality tourism to Greece.
“ND defines the future, while PASOK is continuing to be unbearably populist and to chase the ghosts of the past,” Samaras said and called on all the Greeks, regardless of party preferences and ideological disagreements to remain united.
“Despite all this Greece will not sink. The political system of the past 30 years sank. But Greece will not sink,” he concluded.
There should be an initiative soon to send the message that we can deal with the crisis and aggressiveness , said LAOS president George Karatzaferis.
SYN president Alexis Tsipras strongly criticized the government blaming it for having given up its right of ruling. He said the IMF is here, has taken the reins because the government has put hands up and it is ready to hand over the keys of ministers’ offices.
