GREECE: Conservative leader Antonis Samaras warns of nightmare scenario if country leaves the euro

Record ID: 215630

  • Title: GREECE: Conservative leader Antonis Samaras warns of nightmare scenario if country leaves the euro
  • Date: 16th June 2012
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (JUNE 15, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF IMAGE OF SAMARAS ON GIANT SCREEN ADDRESSING CROWD SAMARAS ADDRESSING RALLY (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) NEW DEMOCRACY PARTY LEADER, ANTONIS SAMARAS, SAYING: "If we were to come into conflict with our partners today they would force us to leave the euro. We wouldn't be able to import anything, we would literally lose everything
  • Embargoed: 1st July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVADP7GWO3KQF18J4J4QK2BQHYHA
  • Story Text: Conservative leader Antonis Samaras told Greeks on Friday (June 15) they faced a stark choice between sticking with the euro or a "nightmare" return to the drachma in an election that threatens to send shockwaves through the single currency.
    Addressing supporters before Sunday's (June 17) pivotal vote, Samaras pledged again to renegotiate the punishing terms of the country's international bailout to promote growth and jobs, but said that to "clash" with the country's European partners would mean the end of Greece's euro membership.
    "The first dilemma we must decide upon is the euro or the drachma," Samaras told the crowd of several thousand waving Greek and European Union flags in the capital's central Syntagma square.
    Samaras's New Democracy party is neck and neck with the radical leftist SYRIZA, whose youthful leader Alexis Tsipras is threatening to tear up the punishing terms of the 130 billion euro ($164.12 billion) bailout that is keeping Greece from bankruptcy.
    "What is at stake in these elections is a change of economic policy in order to create growth and jobs, or catastrophe and afterwards a worse bailout agreement," Samaras said.
    Neither New Democracy nor SYRIZA is expected to win outright, and negotiations will follow to create a pro- or anti-bailout coalition government.
    Euro zone officials have hinted they might give a new Greek government some leeway on how it reaches debt targets set by the EU/International Monetary Fund bailout package, but there would be no change to the targets themselves.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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