Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 

Greek president criticizes German Finance Minister for "insulting Greece"

ATHENS, Feb. 15, 2012 (Xinhua) --

Greek President Karolos Papoulias on Wednesday strongly criticized German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and other European officials for "insulting Greece," Greek media reported.

As the country is under heavy pressure from other European countries, especially Germany, to implement austerity and reform measures in return for fresh international aid to avoid bankruptcy, Papoulias strongly rejected warnings of a Greek exit from the eurozone in a rare burst of anger, the national news agency AMNA and several local media reported.

"I cannot accept Mr. Schaeuble insulting my country...Who is Mr. Schaeuble to taunt Greece? Who are the Dutch? Who are the Finns?" the president said in a speech at the Defense Ministry.

Schaeuble, an 82-year-old veteran of Greek resistance to Nazi forces during the Second World War, also stressed that Greece always defended with pride not only the freedom of Greek people, but the freedom of Europe.

Debt-laden Greece has depended on multi-billion-euro rescue loans from the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to avoid default since 2010.

Without a second bailout package, the country would be unable to repay a maturing bond next month, ending up in a chaotic meltdown that could hit hard the entire eurozone.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

Papoulias attacks Schaeuble's 'insults'

Athens News, 16 Feb 2012

President Karolos Papoulias accused German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Wednesday of insulting Greece, reflecting growing public resentment of almost daily lectures from Berlin on the dire state of the Greek economy.

A visibly angry Papoulias singled out Schaeuble after he appeared to suggest Greece might go bankrupt, and also attacked critics of his country in the Netherlands and Finland.

"I cannot accept Mr Schaeuble insulting my country," said Papoulias, 82, who participated in the resistance against the Nazi occupation during the Second World War. "Who is Mr Schaeuble to insult Greece? Who are the Dutch? Who are the Finnish?" he said in a speech at the defence ministry.

The comments by Papoulias, who studied law in Germany and speaks German fluently, marked a highly unusual foray into international controversy for him.

In a radio interview earlier on Wednesday, Schaeuble asked whether the troika could be assured that Athens would stick to the bailout deal after likely elections in April. "When you look at the internal political discussions in Greece and the opinion polls, then you have to ask who will really guarantee after the elections ... that Greece will stand by what we are now agreeing with Greece," he told SWR2 radio, a public broadcaster serving the German southwest.

He also claimed that recession-weary Greeks were being let down by their politicians who are failing work together effectively and are not implementing reforms needed to make their country run more efficiently.

He said the eurozone was now better prepared for the financial failure of one of its members, but insisted the willingness to help Athens was still there. "We will do everything we can to help Greece," Schaeuble said, blaming the worst of the crisis on Greek politicians. "We are already seeing the severe hardship that people in Greece are enduring, because the political class in Greece has failed over the years and decades."

He added: "And now I'm not sure if all the political parties in Greece aware of their responsibility for the plight of their country. We are very well aware of our responsibility towards Greece and the Greek people very well. But, as I have always said, we can help, but not indefinitely."

Resentment Resentment in Greece of the tough German stand on Greece's failure to meet targets set by the EU and IMF in return for financial aid has become widespread in recent months. Protesters in Athens burned a German flag last week and newspapers have run computer-generated pictures of Chancellor Angela Merkel in a Nazi uniform.

With EU patience with Greek party politicians close to breaking point, Schaeuble has made a series of critical remarks in recent days. He has likened the country to a bottomless pit and said on Monday that the eurozone was better prepared to overcome a Greek bankruptcy than two years ago. Papoulias pointed out that Europeans had fought together in the past and said they should now work together during Greece's crisis.

"We were always proud to defend not only our freedom, our country, but Europe's freedom too," he told a lunch attended by the defence minister and the country's top military brass. Finland has demanded that Greece put up collateral for rescue loans, while Dutch politicians have also taken a tough line on Greece's problems. Salary Earlier, the president said he had given up his salary in a symbolic gesture of support for recession-hit citizens. Papoulias receives an annual income of €283,694 for the job. His term of office expires in 2015.

The president announced his decision at a meeting with Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, three days after parliament slashed Greece's minimum wage as part of a drastic new austerity package. "This is an action that honours, Mr President. It's a symbolic gesture when the Greek people have been called upon to make such sacrifices. The country's first citizen is giving up his salary," Venizelos said. "This is very important and symbolic initiative, for which I thank him and will inform the prime minister and cabinet." (Reuters, AMNA, Athens News)

Well, Schäuble is known for having a sharp tongue occasionally, but his recent remarks are rather harmless in comparison with other statements he has voiced in the past. With a lot of respect for Dr. Papoulias, but what exactly is he seeing as an insult?

That it is questioned if "Greece will stand by what we are now agreeing with Greece" or the view that "the political class in Greece has failed over the years and decades"?

He's a founding member of PASOK and really should understand why other European governments don't trust Greek politicans. It was his party, after all, which made Greece join the Eurozone, with numbers and promises that have turned out to be just fairy tales.

Instead of complaining about alleged insults, it would be vastly preferrable if the president played a more prominent role in pushing for reforms, especially of the corrupt and inefficient administration. That includes calling officials who fail in their job to task and not to defend them against righteous complaints!