As European leaders welcomed the new PM, they have asked that he and the interim Greek government concentrate on uniting and working together as a priority. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and the head of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said the Greek Government must now focus on adopting and keeping to last month’s bailout agreement, which is likely to see Greece receive another 130 billion euros in loans and holders of Greek bonds accept a 50 per cent haircut.
“Although this will be a transitional government, its workload will be extremely intense,” they said in a joint statement. “A second program of financial assistance must be rapidly concluded. “It is important for Greece’s new government to send a cross-party message of reassurance to its European partners that it is committed to doing what it takes to set its debt on a steady downward path.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her support at a news conference in Berlin. United States State Department spokesman Mark Toner also welcomed the new PM but maintained the world leaders stance that the government needs to work together.
Source: Kathimerini