Sarkozy welcomes Greek main opposition leader Samaras responsible stance on €uroarea formula

 

At the same time, Sarkozy observed also the fact that another "Declaration by the (Greek) Prime Minister (G.) Papandreou indicated that a Referendum (on the €uro-deal for Greece) would not be really useful" : A point that the French President also found "interesting", (Comp. yesterday"s relevant "EuroFora"s NewsReport), even if it wasn't really a surprise, since it had been made clear, already 2 Days earlier, that Giorgos Papandreou had Not a Majority for his sudden, unwarned, Referendum threat, since it faced strong Opposition from almost everywhere, including by many inside his own party, (See yeterday's relevant "EuroFora"s NewsReport).

Meanwhile, the main Greek opposition party, "ND" (ChristianDemocrats/EPP), for the 1st time so clearly, had issued two statements both going on the line of the "Alternative Solution" earlier highlighted by "EuroFora"s encounter with an experienced Sarkozy's counsellor, one Day before, on November 2, (see relevant Yesterday's NewsReport)  :

Indeed, f.ex., already during Today's late Morning, November 3, "New Democracy"'s Spokesman, John Michelakis, reportedly made it clear that the Lending Deal with EU/IMF had become inevitable for Greece, after Giorgos Papandreou's controversial policies, but that the main Opposition party always asks to renegociate anew the Memo Plan which accompagnies it :

-"It's one thing the contract on the Loan, and another (different) thing the Policies which accompagny it", he reportedly stressed, (according to the alternative Formula outlined by "EuroFora" yesterday).

 Samaras later-on issued a formal Statement in which he asked for an Interim Government to immediately prepare Elections after endorsing the €urozone decision on the Loan and the Debt only :

- "This government's (of Giorgos Papandreou's PASOK) policies have so much worsened things, that a new contract on borrowing money has become unavoidable and (therefore) it must be safeguarded".

-"But, obviously, we keep our Disagreement with the Policy Measures which are applied today" by the PASOK government", he added.

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- "I already said, since October 27, when the (Debt provoked in Greece) "Haircut" (-50%) was anounced, that, given the situation to which PASOK's Govenrment brought things, the "Haircut" of the Greek Debt, that Nobody wanted earlier, had become unavoidable from now on", but, "I had also made it clear that the lending contract is something Different from the accompagnying measures, and we remain still opposed to the "Policy mix", Samaras stressed afterwards, during a Greek Parliament's debate.

- "I wonder, Mr. (G.) Papandreou came close to destroying Greece and Europe, €uroarea, Inernational Stock/Financial Markets and his own Party in order to do what ?  To Blackmail me and the Greek People ? Or in order to be sure for what I had alrea&dy anounced, that I accept as "unavoidable", Samaras criticized, while also noting that G. Papandreou was practically obliged to withdraw his unwarned and largely rejected, Referendum threat.
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+ "I don't want to intervene inside the Greek Political Debate, which is already Complicated enough like that", carefuly said today Sarkozy in reply to Journalists' questions.

- "Greece is an Independent Country, it's a Free Country. Greeks have succeeded to liberate themselves from Dictatorship, and I admire the Greek People, while I also have some very old Family links with Greece, so that I don't want, at any case, to give them a feeling that we intervene in their political life", clarified, at any case, Sarkozy, whose Grand Father, from his Mother's side, had been reportedly living as a Greek in Thessaloniki.

- "But, concerning €uro's Defence and the Defence of Europe, it's our Duty : The Red line for us is very simple : (€uroarea Member) Countries are freely administrated, but the" €uro and Europe are our (common) Heritage, and it must be protected. Here is how far we can go, and we will go. We can't go further than that, but, concerning Europe's and €uro's Defence, we shall do our job", the French President stressed.

 - So, "'I am very glad that there are enough of politically Responsible People in Greece to understand this message and be able to go well beyond partisan interests in order to speak about their National Interest. Because, as we have always said, we wish for Greece to stay inside €uroarea, that was crystal-clear among us, but we couldn't realize our wish, if they didn't want that themselves", added Sarkozy earlier.
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Concerning the Alterhative Formula that "EuroFora" had highlighted in yesterday's Headline News, and was apparently endorsed officially by the main Opposition party  ND today, (i.e. the possibility, or not, to Distinguish between the  Financial deal on Loans and Debts already decided at Brussels'  EU Summit on October 27, and the Economic Policy Measures, which had been notoriously left for afterwards (See f.e. EU Parliament biggest Group's President, MEP Joseph Daul, head of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, statements to "EuroFora", etc), at lot of issues concerning Greece's Action Plan (which usually accompagnies the Financial, Loan deal) was, precisely, going to be left for later-on, probably up to early December, (see last week's relevant "EuroFora" News), an observation made today by Sarkozy appears rather interesting :

- "We have nothing to ask to the Greek Parliament, which is Free to manage its business...... We simply say that the EU Taxpayers' Money cannot be engaged before certain.. rules which had been unanimously voted in Brussels on Occtober 27, are respected. (i.e. about the Loans and the Debt). .. For the Rest, we don't have any advise to give. We don't have any instruction to give. The Greek Peuple is an independent People, a very great Civilisation, and we trust him to decide on the choices concerning its Future. As fart as we are concerned, we let him Free to take his Decisions", stressed the 2011 G8-G20 Chairman and French President, using a wording which fits well out Formula (See supra).

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=> Meanwhile, main opposition party "New Democracy" asked for "Elections soon", to be organized in a few weeks by a Technocratic Transition Government of common approval, together with endorsing the Financial Deal of october 26 (See supra), in order to have, in as Brief as possible laps of Time, a New, stable Government, strong of a fresh Popular Support expressed by Democratic Votes, so that it will be able to determine the remaining Economic and other Policy issues.     

But, since Polls generally give some +8 to +9% more Votes to "New Democracy" than to PASOK, the current "Socialist" 2 MPs narrow "majority" still in Parliament refuses immediate Elections, that it tries to avoid, (f.ex. by asking for a "National Coalition" Government, despite clearly opposed Policies), or, at least, to postpone for Later, obviously risking to prolong Uncertainy, contrary to European leaders and International Organizations' wish to fix a crystal-clear stance by Greece the Soonest, i.e. in a "Brief" laps of time :

 - "Given the gravity of the situation, ...it is clear that we caNOT stay in a Prolonged situation of Uncertainty", provoked by G.Papandreou's U-turn, Sarkozy denounced. Thus, ..."we launch a formal Appeal for a political agreement to be found in Greece FAST", he urged.