EUROZONE-GREECE/GERMANY-VISIT REACTIONS Greeks want PM to reach compromise with Merkel

Record ID: 496363

  • Title: EUROZONE-GREECE/GERMANY-VISIT REACTIONS Greeks want PM to reach compromise with Merkel
  • Date: 23rd March 2015
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (MARCH 23, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING ALONG SYNTAGMA SQUARE / PARLIAMENT IN BACKGROUND WATER FOUNTAIN / PARLIAMENT ENTRANCE IN BACKGROUND GREEK FLAG PEOPLE AT SQUARE (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) ATHENS RESIDENT, GEORGE CHRISTODOULOU, SAYING: "These are difficult times, [we need] a simple compromise from both sides. We must not push it to the edge, but they should also back down, or things will get hard. A mutual compromise, otherwise they won't gain anything, and the same stands for us if we push it to the edge." (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) UNIDENTIFIED ATHENS RESIDENT, SAYING: "I would like him (Alexis Tsipras) to be more serious, not to act in this theatrical manner like [Finance Minister Yanis] Varoufakis and the others, to be responsible and think of the country's future and not the party's interests." PEOPLE WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) UNIDENTIFIED ATHENS RESIDENT, SAYING: "We are overcome with nervousness. We had no trust at all in the previous government, which was completely incompetent, and we have no trust whatsoever in the current one, which seems to believe in outdated, 19th century ideologies." (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) ATHENS RESIDENT, GIANNA, SAYING: "I hope that it will all go well, that a solution will be found. But I want them to keep the same attitude, not to give in to everything, not to sell off, but do something that will help Greece, not the foreigners and the banks." (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) ATHENS RESIDENT, DIMITRIS PAPADIMITRIOU, SAYING: "He did very well to send this letter and let them know the problem that we have. The 1.9 (billion euros), the money from the profits, should have been given to us. This has nothing to do with the bailout, it has nothing to do with the instalments." (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) ATHENS RESIDENT, MARIA, SAYING: "He (Tsipras) is doing what he thinks is best and I certainly do hope that it is good. I have no say in this, so I am hoping for the best. After all these years we feel indignant." MAN READING NEWSPAPER AT NEWS KIOSK 'TA NEA' NEWSPAPER HEADLINE READING (Greek): "BERLIN TIME FOR TSIPRAS LIST, THE REFORM PLAN AND FRAGILE GREEK-GERMAN RELATIONS ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S MENU WITH MERKEL" NEWSPAPERS 'I EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON' HEADLINE READING (Greek): "TAKE THE LIST, GIVE MONEY, TRUST TEST IN THE FIRST FACE-TO-FACE TSIPRAS-MERKEL MEETING" NEWSPAPERS HANGING 'ETHNOS' NEWSPAPER CAPTION ON PHOTO OF TSIPRAS AND MERKEL READING (Greek): "MERKEL-TSIPRAS IN BERLIN, MEETING OVER EVERYTHING, WHAT WILL THEY DISCUSS?"
  • Embargoed: 7th April 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAITMSLCDTKWLQBUREGEW1NNKS
  • Story Text: Greek people on Monday (March 23) expressed hope that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras would reach an agreement with Berlin over the conditions of the country's international bailout, ahead of his meeting with the German Chancellor.
    Tsipras is due to meet Angela Merkel in Berlin at 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) in his first official visit to the German capital.
    Last week, Greece promised to meet creditors' demands to present an economic reform package within days to unlock the cash it needs to avoid crashing out of the euro.
    On the streets of Athens, residents said Tsipras must soften his stance and aim for a compromise.
    "These are difficult times, [we need] a simple compromise from both sides. We must not push it to the edge, but they should also back down, or things will get hard. A mutual compromise, otherwise they won't gain anything, and the same stands for us if we push it to the edge," said George Christodoulou.
    Another man, who did not wish to be named, said it was time the leftist prime minister took a more modest approach.
    "I would like him (Alexis Tsipras) to be more serious, not to act in this theatrical manner like [Finance Minister Yanis] Varoufakis and the others, to be responsible and think of the country's future and not the party's interests," he said.
    "We are overcome with nervousness. We had no trust at all in the previous government, which was completely incompetent, and we have no trust whatsoever in the current one, which seems to believe in outdated, 19th century ideologies," the man added.
    But one woman said she wanted Tsipras to keep up his bold stance.
    "I hope that it will all go well, that a solution will be found. But I want them to keep the same attitude, not to give in to everything, not to sell off, but do something that will help Greece, not the foreigners and the banks," Gianna said.
    Tsipras warned Merkel that it would be "impossible" for his country to service debt obligations due in the coming weeks if the European Union did not give his country any short-term financial assistance, the Financial Times reported on Sunday (March 22).
    The warning was sent to Merkel in a letter dated March 15 and came just before she agreed to meet Tsipras on the sidelines of an EU summit on Thursday (March 19), the newspaper said.
    In the letter, Tsipras warned that his government would be forced to choose between paying off loans, owed primarily to the International Monetary Fund, and continuing to fund social spending.
    He blamed European Central Bank limits on Greece's ability to issue short-term debt as well as euro zone bailout authorities' refusal to disburse any aid before Athens adopts a new round of economic reforms, the paper said.
    Worker Dimitris Papadimitriou said the newly elected prime minister had done well to send the letter.
    "The 1.9 (billion euros), the money from the profits, should have been given to us. This has nothing to do with the bailout, it has nothing to do with the instalments," he said.
    Merkel and Tsipras have sought to play down the talks.
    Merkel acknowledged last week that she and Tsipras would talk "and perhaps also argue", but said it would not be a defining moment in the stand-off between Athens and its euro zone creditors over the terms of its 240 billion euro bailout.
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