ireland, urgent news from greece

 

UPDATE:
23rd Feb 2011 Clashes broke out in Athens, the Greek capital, amid large protests against austerity measures aimed at curbing the country's massive debt crisis. Riot police fired tear gas and flash bombs at protesters in Syndagma square on Wednesday, while masked youths hurled firebombs and threw rocks at authorities, in clashes that lasted for three hours. Police said five civilians and two officers were injured,  and another 20 were detained, while a policeman was attacked and his uniform set on fire, before he was rescued by colleagues.

The year's first nationwide walkout by public and private sector employees against spending cuts saw flights grounded, schools shut down and public transport paralysed. Up to 100,000 people marched through the streets of Athens shouting "We are not paying" and "No sacrifice for plutocracy" before violence broke out.

Greece's Socialist government cut salaries and pensions and raised taxes last year despite repeated strikes, in return for a $150bn bailout by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. "This strike kicks off a wave of protests this year with the participation of workers, pensioners and the unemployed," Ilias Iliopoulos, general secretary of public sector union ADEDY, told the Reuters news agency. "We are against these policies which are certainly leading to poverty and pushing the economy into a deep recession," he said.

Merkel offers lifeline to Greece ahead of 9th general strike

LEIGH PHILLIPS

Today @ 09:28 CET http://euobserver.com/9/31858/?rk=1
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - During a visit to Berlin on Tuesday (22 February), Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou was offered something of a lifeline from German Chancellor Angela Merkel who suggested Berlin will back an extension of the repayment period of Greece's €110 billion bail-out. "There certainly is a discussion about whether to consider extending the running time of the Greek program," she said, according to reports from a press conference between Ms Merkel and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou.

She added that Ireland's bail-out terms covered a seven-year period, while Greece's was just three. "It's one point that's on the table," she noted. But she also said that such a decision "can only be decided in connection with all the other measures."

She patted Greece on the head for its austerity programme, saying: "Greece has started to put its house in order ... We have been watching this with satisfaction because we know that this requires political boldness."At the same time, like a watchful nanny inspecting how well a child has cleaned up his room, she warned that for all the cuts and liberalisation the centre-left government has imposed in the face of mass social unrest, Greece must still go further. "I believe that there are still some more things for Greece to do and the more decisive that it is in following the necessary policies, the more Germany will believe that it can succeed," she said.

Mr Papandreou for his part thanked the German leader for considering Greece's request for a bail-out extension: "Angela, I want to thank you very much for what you have done, your support and your friendship."Ahead of the top-level meeting, talks between the respective finance ministers, Giorgos Papaconstantinou and Wolfgang Schaeuble also took place in Athens. According to Greek daily Kathemerini, unnamed Greek diplomats said they are confident that the repayment period will be extended to 10 or 11 years, but are not as sure that the Berlin paymaster will accede to a lowering of the five percent interest paid on the sum.

The lifeline came ahead of the country's ninth general strike in opposition to austerity measures and a day after the parliament had managed to push through legislation introducing a wholesale liberalisation of a number of professions, including lawyers, architects, engineers and notaries, a landmark piece of legislation demanded by the EU-IMF-ECB troika in exchange for the bail-out. The legislation was passed following a series of amendments to ensure dissident members of the governing Pasok party did not abstain.

On Wednesday, in a strike organised jointly by the two leading union federations, GSEE and ADEDY, flights will be grounded and most of public transport will come to a halt while schools will be shuttered and hospitals will only respond to emergency needs. All municipal services as well as doctors offices, gas stations and pharmacies will be closed. The two unions have called for a single day of action, but the hard-left Syriza coalition and anarchist groups have called for protesters to stay on in the central Syntagma Square until the government is overthrown, inspired by protests in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.

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"We will commercially exploit public property but we will not sell off state land," he told reporters on Sunday.......

In the event of our troubles it is evident in rumour that a new Irish government might sell off our State assets in Electricity, Transport, Health ; and confirmed today are Bank's sell-off of mortgages etc.How does NAMA figure in this problem - the sale of land ?

 

Athens in EU-IMF dispute over privatisation

LEIGH PHILLIPS

14.02.2011 @ 09:27 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Representatives of the EU-IMF 'troika' and Greek finance minister George Papaconstantinou have tried to draw a line under a public scuffle between Athens and European lenders over a demand that the government immediately sell off €50 billion in state assets to prevent insolvency.

Greece may sell off government services, but not real estate (Photo: Titanas)

On Sunday (13 February), the minister said that the government remained committed to its privatisation schedule as the move was "in the public interest".

The statement of reassurance came after a statement from the EU, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank insisting that the government is still abiding by troika recommendations and that the lenders have faith that Athens is still carrying out the programme agreed between the two sides in May last year.

"We recognise the difficult challenges facing the Greek economy and we have the deepest respect for the tremendous efforts being made by the Greek people," they said in a statement late on Saturday - Our three institutions have full respect for the prerogatives and initiatives of the government in all areas of economic decision-making, and our role is to advise and support the government. It is regrettable if a different impression was perceived at any time."

The statements came after an assessment team from the troika held a press conference in which they said Greece's austerity programme was broadly on track with what the lenders have demanded but that a €50 billion in privatisation of government property had yet to be implemented, some €15 billion of which should be enacted within the next two years."It is well known that there is huge potential for privatisation," European Commission representative Servaas Deroose had told reporters."A comprehensive plan through 2015 will be finalised ... aiming at proceeds of €50 billion euros between 2011 and 2015," he said.

A government spokesman on Saturday then lashed out at the troika, saying they had "behaved unacceptably." "We asked them for help ... not to meddle in our internal affairs," he said.Despite the mollifying noises from the finance minister, Mr Papaconstaniou still insisted that any privatisation would only cover government services and not land."We will commercially exploit public property but we will not sell off state land," he told reporters on Sunday. The decisions about how this will be done will be taken by the Greek government and nobody else," he continued.

In related news, the EU's revamped, permanent eurozone bail-out mechanism is to total some €500 billion in funds from 2013, German news weekly Der Spiegel is reporting, based on information from unacknowledged sources. The schedule of Greece's €110 billion bail-out is set to be discussed by finance ministers from the eurozone's 17 member states on Monday evening.