Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-09-11

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Karamanlis: All pledges will be met; gov't dedicated to reforms

[01] Karamanlis: All pledges will be met; gov't dedicated to reforms

Speaking at an across-the-board press conference during the first weekend of the 70th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), Karamanlis noted that "we are in the middle of a difficult, uphill course ... priority is on the fiscal condition, and we are continuing with persistence in that direction".

Replying to press questions, the prime minister stressed on several occasions that the government was obliged to take unpleasant decisions, but noted that the first signs that its policy was yielding results was already visible.

He explained that one could not exercise social policy "with borrowed money", stressing that the living conditions of the less privileged and economically weaker classes improves when the economy improves, whereas those social groups face greater burdens vis-a-vis economic hardships.

The prime minister also reiterated that all pledges made by the government still stood and would be fulfilled over a four-year period.

"All those who think that social policy can be exercised with words or borrowed money are seriously deluding themselves. The priority is on rendering the economy healthy. This is a policy of responsibility. It is easy to exercise a policy of impressions, but then the burden falls on the shoulders of the taxpayers," he said.

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