G7 Summit : USA President Obama on Greece : - "Tough Choices", but Possible, If...

 

*G7 Summit/Elmau Castle/Angelo Marcopolo/- Just after saluting a Surprized "EuroFora"+ with one Hand, by a Friendly : -"Hi There !", while holding his eternal Starbucks' Coffee cup at the other Hand, (perhaps a remnant from his Family's  "Windy City" of Hard-Working Chicago, from where came also his twice-winning original Press Strategy Advisor, met at 2009 NATO's Summit in Strasbourg, and, by a coincidence, "EuroFora" Co-Founder's closest Family parents), before slowly and thoughtfully walking towards his scheduled Press Conference Room's backstage door, right at the End of an exceptionaly Busy Day at the Elmau Castle, on the Top of Germany's Highest Mountains, in the middle of Bavaria's splendid Natural Landscape, (i.e. after being probably informed about what all other Heads of State/Government had said at their own Press Conferencies, earlier Today), USA President Barak Obama almost immediately replied to a collegue's Question on the Topical Economic and Socio-Political issue of the Huge Debt provoked by various Past Errors on Greece :

He took a deep breath before giving a quite Long, but measured Reply, at a Crucial moment of Negotiations, (according G7 President, German Chancelor Angie Merkel's earlier anouncement, that this issue would be probably Discusssed even during Elmau encounters, but without any Decision, since this is of the Competence of EU Commission - EuroCentral Bank - IMF and EU Countries' Governments, as well as of Athens' Authorities, but obviously not of the G7 Summit itself) :

 - The move came just after Obama had already observed, from the outset, that, since the G7 Summit "Recognize(d) that the Global Economy, while Growing (this Year : 2015), it's still Not Performing at its Ful Potential", (Comp. other relevant "EuroFora"s NewsReport, with G7 Summit's President, Chancelor Merkel's, Press Conference, and its Official, Collective Conclusions, published earlier Today : ...), then, "we (G7 Heads of State/Government, plus EU Commission and Council Presidents) Agreed on a Number of Necesary Steps", among which, "here, in Europe, we (G7) Support Efforts to find a Path" which cuuld "enable Greece to carry out Key Reforms", so that it can "return to Growth with a Strong, Stable and Growing €uroZone", as he said in his Introductory obervations for the Press.

- In consequence, reminding also a relevant recent Warning to prevent eventual "Harm to Financial Markets", by Timely "Ensuring a Deal" on "Greece" (as that much more Multifacet than usualy said issue is too often over-Simplified by some), the collegue from "Reuters" British-Canadian Press Agency , (that Obama had Chosen himself in order to speak First, at the Small-Medium Press Room that he used, where Press Invitations had been distributed just by the American and/or German Hosts' side, as well informed USA sources told "EuroFora"), asked the US President if he felt that "(the rest of EU's) Europeans" would be "Too Tough", (as he claimed), and, particularly, "What Else" did he thing that it "Needs to be done on Both Sides" now ?

- "Concerning Greece", Obama started by pointing, from the outset, to the fact that this issue had been discussed, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, also with several other key particpants :

- It's "not only our G7 Partners" (Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Canada, Japan : the next G7 Chair for the Year 2016), "but also the IMF (led here by its Director-General, experienced former French Minister of Finances, Christine Lagarde, by another coincidence : herself too coming from a long initial career at ...Chicago : Comp. f.ex., Lagarde's Reply to "EuroFora"s Question during her Press Conference au Quai de Brenelle in Paris, as Chairwoman-in-office of the G20 Ministers of Finance's conference, which prepared the Heads of State/Government's G20 Summit at Cannes : Comp. other "EuroFora"s NewsReports from Cannes, later-on),"and Other Institutions that were Represented here", at Elmau Castle, (speaking, probably, f.ex., of New Presidents of EU Commission and/or Council, Juncker and/or Tusk, as well as OECD's Secretart General Angel Guria  : Comp. various "EuroFora"s NewsReports on each of them, mostly on Replies g)ven to several among our Questions at various other occasions until recently), that, indeed, "Feel a sense of Urgency", as US President said for that pending issue.

- And, in this regard, (i.e. considering the Right Timing : Comp. Supra), "I think that Everyone wants to make it happen", (i.e. broker a "Deal", as the above mentioned Question had said), so that "they are Working Hard to get it done"; Obama incited, in Reply also to a Follow-up Question by the same collegue, who asked also if he was "Confifdent that it will Happen Before the (Time) Deadline", which notoriously is currently set (tehnically : given the already Agreed Timing for Reimbursements of Loans and for the Duration of EU's overall Aide Program) for June 30th, (i.e., by a coincidence, just 1 Day after an EU - China Summit scheduled in Brussels for Monday, June 29, the First Working Day of a Monday which follows directly the Friday-Saturday regular, full EU Summit of June 25-26, that Same Weekend)...

- I.e. that, at least, "a Path to Resolve the Situation there", has to be "Found", as the US President put it Diplomatically, at the present stage.

=> - In particular, "this is going to Require", first of all, from the Government of "Greece" to "be Serious on Making some Important Reforms", Obama stressed from the outset, when it cames towards substance, (even if he carefuly Avoided even to Indicate this or that concrete domain, among several which still subsist at the Negotiation's table)...

 
- Indeed, "the Greek" AUthorities "are going to Have to Follow though, and make some Tough Political Choices", Obama underlined.

- Because, this is Needed "not only to Satisfy Creditors, but, even More Importantly, (in order) to Create a kind of "Platform" where the Greek Economy van Start Growing again, and Prosper", so "that it will be Good (also) for the Long Term", he justified.

+ But, at the same time, "I also Think" that "it's going to be Important, for the International Community and the International Financial Agencies, (i.e. particularl the IMF, since the World Bank hasn't been yet invloved directly),  to Recognize the Extraordinary Chalenges that Greeks face", added, however, the American President :

Apparently evoking not only that Exceptionaly Huge Debt, but also f.ex. the notoriously Growing Waves of Many irregular Immigrants comming mainly through Turkey's too "porous" Borders, etc ; the fact that the Strategically Located EU Member Country is currently almost Surrounded by unprecedented Violent and Destructive Conflicts on the South-East nearby areas, from Libya up to Syria, etc ; as well as that, because of notorious Turkish Threats, (even of War, explicitly), Greece has, traditionaly, to spend, relatively much More than Other EU Countries for Defense, ( in terms of Percentage of its National GDP), and is recently Hindered even to use its elementary Right, according to the International Law of the Sea, (that Turkey still Refuses even to Recognize), to Search, Find and Benefit from the Natural Resources (f.ex. Gas/Oil, Gold, etc), that most likely exist in its Exclusive Economic Zone at the Aegean Sea,  (a thoroughly "Greek Lake" in Ancient and Medieval Times, i.e. for Thousands of Years, in a Sea where 99% of its numerous Islands belong even Today to Greece and are Inhabited by Greek People with an over-Millenary History there), in order to become Fast Able to immediately Pay Back all the Loans that it was Obliged to accept by that Huge Debt provoked by Big Errors of the Past.

    [Something, which, naturally, is not an excuse for the notoriously excessive Nepotism/Clientelism of many former Governments of the Past (mainly PASOK+), during the last 30 Years (1981-2011), which has Overloaded the Country with too many Political Lackeys and/or CounterProductive Cushy Job Holders, inevitably provoking a Growig Debt in order to pay them, that some (mainly "Socialists", then) Governments have Hidden around 1999-2002+ in order to allow a former PASOK Government to Snap the April 200 Elections by a Too Early and UnPrepared Entry of Greece in the €urZone, even Before it does the Reforms Needed in order to Join it (preferably a few Years later-on), in exchange of Shutting its Mouth on Turkey's Controversial and UnPopular EU Bid then, (Comp. f.ex. : Attribution to Ankara of the Status of "Candidate to EU Accession), which obviously Damaged the further Development and Integration of the EU, by triggering 3 "No" to EuroReferenda on EU Constitution in France, the Netherlands and Ireland (2005-2007), among others also in Delaying too much a necessary (and initially scheduled : See f.ex. EU Parliament's landmark Debate on the Introduction of the €uro, already back since October 1995 in Strasbourg, in the presence of UNO's SG Boutros -Ghali then : Comp. "EuroFora" co-Founder's Articles, as Published in "TCWeekly") establishment of a kind of "Economic Governance" of €uroZone, whose Total Absence obviously caught the EU Unprepared to face the 2008-2014 Global Crisis and other recent Challenges. So that it's, naturaly, Not by allowing to all those who had Abused of the Public Sector for more than 30 Years now, to even Add, Today, a strange wave of  ... Early Retirements for the same, who now they reportedly Threaten to get rid of Any Work at all for the Society, asking to be Paid, for doing absolutely Nothing (sic !), also many Other Decades, from the Money due to be usurpated, even more than the Past, by various Taxes against Productive Businesses (including SMEs), and, particularly, by more than 1,5 Millions of Jobless (many Young, but also Elders) and many other Poor People, who have already Suffered too much...

Thus, the current "SYRIZA" Government, as "New" at the Top Job, normaly could and should join Moral and Social arguments together with Economic Efficiency, (f.ex. through an adequate "Anti-Corruption" Campaign, and other such attempts to tackle, at last, the real Historic Causes which provoked that Huge Debt), in order to Free, at last, the Poor People and the productive Enterprises of the Country from all those Corrupted, Greedy and often Abusive Bureaucrats, who usurpated a place in the Public Sector without deserving that, by irregular and/or Scandalous means (Comp; Supra), excluding others and over-Exploiting Greece for Decades, to the point to Endanger even €uroZone, etc. But that would natruraly require that the "New" Government urgently Stops to be Pressured and/or Blackmailed evenmore by some Remnants of Former "PASOK" Lobbies, as any Experienced and Informed Observer can find out, on the base of pure, pertinent Facts and elementary Logical Analysis]. 

---

>>> - Therefore, "If Both Sides are showing a Sufficient Flexibility, then, I Think that we can get this Problem reSolved. But, it will Require Tough Decisions for All involved", incited the North-American President, in conclusion.

- For that purpose, "We (USA's Government) will Continue Consultations, with All Parties involved", in order "to Try to Encourage that kind of Outcome", Obama anounced, at least for the remaining 22 Crucial Days, (Comp. Supra).