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Maria S. Topalova
    The government spokesman George Petalotis characterized the statements of the representatives of the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and European Central Bank as an interference in the internal affairs of Greece during their press conference in Athens yesterday. As early as today the Prime Minister George Papandreou is expected to send a protest note to the three organizations. "We called them to help us and not to interfere in our internal affairs," said in his night statement  the government spokesman.
    How did the Troika upset Papandreou?
    At the press conference the representative of the European Commission Servaas Deroose announced an ambitious privatization program worth 50 billion euros, to be implemented by the end of 2015. Only for the period of 2011-2012 Greece will have to privatize state property worth 15 billion euros. When the data were reported, Greek journalists could not believe their ears. So as to avoid a loss in the translation from English a reporter asked Deroose directly whether he had in mind the figure five-zero or the figur one-five for the billions. "By 2015 I mean the number five-zero billion, for the period 2011-2012 - the figure of one-five billion", responded with a sense of humor the expert from Brussels.
    It is hard for me to believe that the Greek government was not familiar with the contents of the privatization program. Neither that the Troika have alone on their own decided to inform journalists without confirming this with the Greek government. The 11-hour negotiations on Thursday in the Ministry of Finance, which continued for another 5 hours on Friday morning are not random, no matter if Poul Thomsen presented them as regular meetings of bureaucrats. During these meetings the businessmen have certainly not discussed the trends in beach fashion for the new season. Both George Papandreou and the Minister of Finance George Papaconstantinou have known what would happen at this press conference. Why have they decided to respond a day later and exactly the way in which they react we will see in coming days and weeks.
    Angry Greek journalists: Poul Thomsen is a cynic
    This definition made the host of the central news of the channel Mega Olga Tremie, enraged by the words of the representative of the International Monetary Fund, that he understands why people are not satisfied with the changes. "Farmers, drivers who are on the street want to preserve their privileges, but their benefits are burdens to society. Most of the people support the reforms", said at yesterday's press conference the expert who apparently understands the economy differently from the way in which it is understood by the Greek journalists. The host was supported just as angrily by the two commentators of the channel Yannis Pretenderis and Pavlos Dzimas who challenged both the right of the Troika to express an opinion on the Greek reality and the meaning and relevance of the privatization program.
    "Memorandum Phantasmagoria" - under this title the Free Sunday newspaper published an analysis of what was said at yesterday's press conference by another famous Greek journalist George Kirtsos. "The economic policy of the Troika swings between farce and tragedy. The farce is associated with the proposals of the tirple, which have no economic sense and are idle. The tragedy are the social consequences of this destructive strategy", commented the author on the announced privatization program. It is an interesting coincidence that in the same issue of the newspaper, whose owner and editor Kirtsos is himself was also printed a huge color advertisement on two full newspaper pages of the Greek state-owned natural gas company. As judged by fellow Greek journalists, it is one of the first in the list for privatization.
    "The Troikad war started" – in this manner the Ethnos newspaper commented on the reaction of the Greek government. As a "storm about the style and content of the press conference", spoke the online edition in.gr. "The government to the Troika – we only receive orders from the Greek people" is the title of the Vima newspaper.
    The European Central Bank won’t breastfeeding Greece forever
    Without underestimating the statements of the gentlemen Servaas Deroose and Poul Thomsen me personally I was most impressed by the words of the third expert of the Troika - the representative of the European Central Bank Klaus Masuch. He said: "The stability of the banking system was guaranteed mostly by the Troika, the Bank of Greece and the European Central Bank, which provides support for Greece in these difficult times. Greece receives substantial loans at very low interest rates from the European Central Bank. This money should come from somewhere - they are taken from the money which all the residents of the eurozone, even those in Slovenia and Slovakia pay as pension and health insurance. But this can not last forever. Greece must be aware of this".
    Well, I don’t have the impression that Greece is aware of this. As Upton Sinclair, an American writer with socialist beliefs says "It is very difficult to make a man understand something if his salary depends upon his not understanding it".