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Sunday, 24 November 2024
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Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-03-13Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Times demand bold decisions(ANA-MPA)President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias called for bold decisions to tackle the crisis, but also self-criticism, during a lunch he hosted in honor of Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece and the Holy Synod members marking the Sunday of Orthodoxy, which is the first Sunday of Lent."The situation around is worsening due to the acute economic crisis. Chronic problems of the past, which today are projected in the difficult present, portend a difficult future. The times demand bold decisions by all of us and self-criticism both at individual level and at institutional level. The crisis we are going through is not only the result of harmful and off-target policies adopted. It is a crisis of values," the President stressed.(ANA-MPA) Papoulias praised the Church's social work in the relief of vulnerable population groups, stressing that especially in these days that work should comprise a central aspiration and mission, adding that the cooperation between State and Church needs to be strengthened.(ANA-MPA) More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form [02] Mixed reactions by parties(ANA-MPA) -- News of the Eurogroup decision the previous evening to extend the loan repayment period for Greece's EC-ECB-IMF bailout as well as to cut one percentage point off the interest rate on the 110-billion-euro package received a mixed response by Greece's opposition parties on Satuday.A main opposition New Democracy (ND) official, MP Christos Staikouras, referred to a "significant decision for Europe, with positive repercussions for Greece", while noting that many of the decisions were proposals by ND.(ANA-MPA) On the other side of the political spectrum, Communist Party (KKE) leader Aleka Papariga dismissed what she called a "reactionary agreement", which she claimed will lead to new and harsher austerity measures. She also stepped up criticism by charging that PM George Papandreou was "lying" about the contents of the exact agreement.(ANA-MPA) Conversely, right-of-centre Popular Orthodox Rally (LA.O.S) party president George Karatzaferis praised the development.(ANA-MPA) "We may not have achieved the maximum of our goals in this Europe (combination), but we did gain a great deal more that the pessimists expected. The issue now is who will manage this new opportunity, which was handed to us. Obviously, the backbone of this (Greek) government, which has failed miserably during the first 10 months of the Memorandum, cannot serve as the best guarantee for the future of Greece," he said.(ANA-MPA) In a negative tone, the leader of the leftist SYRIZA grouping, Alexis Tsipras, charged that the extension of the repayment period came at the expense of the "sell-off" of state property and a new Memorandu and burdens for the Greek people. (ANA-MPA) More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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