15 February 2012

Bloomberg: Greek president slams German insults as talks stall

Greek President Karolos Papoulias slammed Germany's finance minister for recent comments about his country, as stalled bailout talks stoked tensions between Greece and the northern European countries funding its rescue.

“I don’t accept insults to my country by Mr Schäuble”, Papoulias, who fought in the resistance against the Nazis during World War II, said in a speech today. “I don’t accept it as a Greek. Who is Mr. Schäuble to ridicule Greece? Who are the Dutch? Who are the Finns? We always had the pride to defend not just our own freedom, not just our own country, but the freedom of all of Europe.”

Greek politicians are expressing their frustration after European finance ministers last week rejected a Greek austerity package worth 7 per cent of GDP. That prompted New Democracy leader, Antonis Samaras, to complain that a gun was being held to the country’s head. George Karatzaferis, head of Laos, the third party in the governing coalition, said the country “could do without the German boot”.

Papoulias has decided to forfeit his annual compensation “as a symbolic gesture at a moment when the Greek people are called upon to undergo such sacrifices”, Venizelos said.

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