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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-02-12Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] IMF must decide quickly what it wants, Finance Minister Tsakalotos saysFinance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos on Sunday said that IMF is not interested on the size of the primary surplus in 2019 but uses it to push Greece to reforms on the tax free ceiling and pensions because last summer Greece completed two very important reforms in the pension system and in the taxation" he said to reporters after his address to SYRIZA Central Committee.Tsakalotos also said that the IMF uses very questionable reports to strengthen its position. He referred to IMF's claims that 40 to 50 percent of the Greek population does not pay taxes adding that if the IMF used the same practices in all the European countries it would know that this percentage is 12 percent. In the same context is included Poul Thomsen's view that the German pensioners are as wealthy as the Greeks. "You can only laugh at this and I have invited him to come to Greece and then go to Germany and make the comparison". "The IMF should decide quickly what it wants to do" underlined Tsakalotos adding that "if it wants to participate in the programme it must respect the efforts of the Greek people in the last years as well as Europe's institutional framework for labour. If it wants pressure, it can put pressure on the countries that do not accept more reasonable primary surpluses for Greece" he underlined. Referring to the course of the negotiation he noted "it is good we are keeping some things for the end of the negotiation because this is what good negotiators do". He appeared optimistic over the result of the negotiation as he said everyone understands that due to the imminent elections in many European countries and to other problems as the refugees problem the number of issues and restrictions is high. "The time is difficult for a Grexit" he said and underlined that "all parts are trying to find a solution. With some goodwill from all sides we may reach an agreement very soon. We are negotiating very hard" said Tsakalotos adding that "the negotiation group has not received a blank check and the context of the negotiation always derives from collective decisions. [02] FM Kotzias to pay official visit to VietnamForeign Minister Nikos Kotzias will pay a two-day official visit, the first after the opening of the Greek embassy in Hanoi ten years ago, to Vietnam.On Monday, Kotzias will meet with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Bhin Minh and with Alternate Foreign Minister Pham Sanh Chau and is also expected to be received by the country' Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. On Tuesday, the Greek Foreign Minister will visit the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh where he will lay a wreath and afterwards he will visit General Vo Nguyen Giap's historic residence. Later, Kotzias will visit Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in population in Vietnam and a very important industrial and cultural centre, where he will meet with the chairman of the municipal People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong. Before departing he will tour the High Tech Park and the War Museum. The visit aims to further strengthen the, already very good, relations at political level and in parallel to seek ways to broaden the cooperation in culture and education. Moreover, the possibility of a bilateral economic and trade cooperation will be examined with emphasis on the attraction of investments as well as the promotion of joint actions in the defence industry. The visit is part of Kotzias' active foreign policy through which is sought Greece's promotion into a stable interlocutor with the rapidly developing countries, independent of their geographic position in order Greece to become a bridge of communication of these specific countries' category with Europe and particularly with the European Union. [03] Greece is caught in a trap of disastrous policies, Professor Galbraith tells ANAGreeks should examine by themselves what they will do with the euro and with Europe, said noted US economist James Kenneth Galbraith, professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and at Texas University and member of the executive committee of the World Economics Association."Greece is caught in a terrible trap of disastrous policies that have nothing to do with the establishment of a more powerful economy or a better life for the Greeks. The issue is if a rift with Europe would make things better and this is a matter that the Greeks should examine by themselves" said Galbraith in an interview with Athens Macedonian News Agency. Asked if US President Donald Trump represents a new political-economical example Professor Galbraith said "The government is a blend of reactionary ideologists, people from big businesses that do not have any governing experience and of military officers. Trump himself expresses a bit of everything. If they have something in common is the general rejection of the authority of professionals with titles and among them the lawyers, the scientists and particularly the economists. In one word it is an uprising of all those that Milovan Djilas has called "The new class". Personally, I have taken distances from the participation in the professionally high class because the distinction of this class from the working class' interest is too much for me. However, this turn of the working class voters to the leadership of the reactionary ideologists is a tragedy". Asked on Donald Trump's position before Europe, the US economist said that US president's contempt for Europe is crystal clear. Europe needs to see which its own independent interests are. My views remain linked with the DiEM25 movement. The best for Europe would be to develop democratic and liable institutions at European level along with a comprehensive change in the economic policy. I know that this is a very ambitious goal, maybe impossible, but the alternative of a general dissolution does not seem very attractive to me. Finally, asked on the future of the dollar of the euro and other possible alternatives as world reserve, Professor Galbraith estimated "For the time being I believe that exists the principle of Count Otto Von Bismarck 'God has special prudence for fools, drunks and the United States of America'. So for the near future the dollar will remain where it is. Europe's policies will decide for the euro's fate". [04] IMF's demand anti-constitutional and politically unacceptable, says Europarliament VP PapadimoulisThe course of the Greek programme and the conclusion of the second review will dominate the open debate in the European parliament plenum with the participation of the European Commission and of the Council on Tuesday 14 February.In his statement on the occasion of the debate, European parliament vice president Dimitris Papadimoulis called "anti-constitutional, economically naive and politically unacceptable" IMF's demand to the Greek government to legislate 4.5 bln euros additional measures after 2019. "It is inconceivable for an EU state member, either Greece or France or Italy or Germany or Spain to do such a thing. Moreover, to demand more sacrifices from the Greek people in order to service a non-sustainable debt sets at risk the economic and fiscal growth that has been achieved by Athens which followed the mutually agreed commitments" added Papadimoulis. [05] Moderate quake jolts LesvosA moderate quake measuring 5 on the Richter scale jolted on Sunday at 3:48 the island of Lesvos.The tremor's epicentre was located at the opposite Turkish coasts, north of Lesvos. It was the fourth over 5 Richter earthquake with the same epicentre recorded in the last week. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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