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Sunday, 24 November 2024 | ||
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Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-11-10Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Rompuy, Barroso: 'new chapter' for GreeceBRUSSELS (AMNA) / European Council President Herman van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Thursday hailed the agreement for a transitional unity government in Greece as a "new chapter" for the country.In a written joint statement, Rompuy and Barroso indicated that they have long supported the need for a broad-based political consensus on the measures that need to be taken in Greece in order to help it emerge from the current debt crisis. Despite the fact that the new government will be transitional, they stressed that it will have a very important task since it will be asked to finalise the second bailout package for Greece that was agreed by eurozone leaders on Oct. 27. In the same announcement, they noted that the process of bond swaps with the private sector must be implemented as planned, at the start of 2012. Rompuy and Barroso (AMNA) called on the new Greek government to send a strong message assuring Greece's European partners that all the political parties were committed to implementing the measures for reducing Greece's debt. They stressed that fiscal stabilisation must go "hand-in-hand" with the structural reforms demanded in order to unlock the country's growth potential and create the jobs so urgently needed by the Greek people. The two presidents underlined that European Union institutions and agencies will continue to do everything within their remit in order to help Greece, while stressing that Greece must in turn do everything possible to help itself. They emphasised that this message was directed at Greece's political leadership. The two European officials said they looked forward to meeting the new Greek prime minister named on Thursday, Lucas Papademos, in order to discuss "urgent issues on our common agenda". AMNA Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |