Elefterotipia newspaper
The storm brewing the Friday press conference of the representatives of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Greece caught up the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who was completely unaware of it. As the newspaper Ta Nea reported, the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou had spoken on the phone with Mrs. Clinton to complain about the Troika’s manners in Athens. The U.S. top diplomat had called Papanderou to discuss with him the situation in Egypt and he had taken advantage and told on the Troika. And poor she, what else she could do but to express once again her support to the Greek government and the Greek people.
The angry responses of the Greeks after the press conference of Mr. Servaas Deroose, Claus Masuch and Poul Thomsen at which they announced an ambitious privatization program worth 50 billion euros continue. Still on Friday evening the host of the Mega TV central news broadcasting Olga Tremie defined Poul Thomsen as a cynic for he had allowed himself at the press conference to take up position on the protests of privileged professions in Greece. Today Pandelis Ikonomou, MP from the ruling PASOK party, called the other participant in the press conference Mr. Servaas Deroose "a hooligan" and "persona non grata" in Greece for having dared to propose to the Greek state to sell its loss-making state enterprises. "Deroose is unwelcome person, an imported hooligan who we do not need, there are enough of hooligans in Greece," said the MP for Radio Sky’s First Line.
Similar was the speech of the Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs Anna Diamantopoulou who opposed the sale of state property and supported its more efficient use during the same broadcasting. "I can not understand why ordinary officials must give press conferences. The Troika can not give press conferences," stated the socialist minister. "What are these people? Whose representatives are they and who allows them to give press conferences," hotly asked another minister in Papandreou's team - the Agriculture Minister Costas Skandalidis. Skandalidis nevertheless acknowledged that the Council of Ministers had discussed at a meeting a privatization program for 15 billion euros. He did not specify whether the period was 2011-2012 or in total to 2015.
Greek media and politicians verbal attacks had mercy only on Mr. Claus Masuch. Perhaps because at the moment the welfare of Greece totally depends on the institution he represents. Nobody is crazy to saw off the bough on which he is sitting. It is hardly coincidence that the Prime Minister Papandreou has not waved a finger only to the President of the European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet. It is also interesting what the purpose of these telephone complains is. Even if the three organizations change their representatives in Athens, they are unlikely to change their policy towards Greece. Or all the media fuss simply seeks to shift the attention from the point of the matter – financial discipline and privatization to the surface – are the three technocrats allowed to give press conferences at which to openly state what is the status of the Greek economy or not?
Even today the Greek press continues to chew over the Friday press conference of the three experts who were in Athens to check how the country implements the Memorandum of stability and to assess whether Greece should be paid the fourth installment of the aid amounting to 15 billion euros. "Lost in Translation" is the title in Naftemboriki which also reads: "So we feel after the Friday press conference of the Troika. Lost in the translation of the events, because we are still trying to decode everything that happened." "At war with the three mediators," is the online edition zougla.gr’s definition of the situation.