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Varoufakis threatens Europe with disintegration

16 June 2015 / 12:06:25  GRReporter
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"They want us to sadistically treat the weakest Greeks. As if they have not suffered a series of blows over the past five years. As if we impose other misanthropic measures on them, the Greek economy will emerge from the crisis. As if the allowance to the lowest pensions is the problem because of which Greece is in the whirlpool of crisis."

This is part of the speech that Greece's Minister of Finance delivered on the island of Crete at the beginning of probably the most critical week for the country, the end of which could hide dramatic events for its citizens.

At a time when the creditors are stressing that Athens is the one that must take action to overcome the obstacles to reaching an agreement, Yanis Varoufakis prefers touring the countryside. He blamed Greece's partners in the use of dual language because, as he stated, they were saying one thing in public and something quite different behind the closed doors of meetings.

"The creditors insist on cutting the allowance to the minimum pensions and imposing the highest VAT rate of 23% on electricity, so that we can throw money into the" black hole" of external debt "for many years," said Varoufakis.

In his opinion, the new austerity measures that the creditors want to impose on Greece would further reduce the income that they expect to repay the loan. Varoufakis was clear that even the International Monetary Fund "is aware that the new austerity measures that they want to impose would reduce the income which would pay the debt."

He assured the audience in Crete that "the rupture with Europe is not on the negotiating table, but we must be able to imagine it. They will receive from us a series of logical proposals but no proposal will contain humbling actions. If they want to humble us, they will have to experience the disintegration of Europe. The break-up should happen here, with the system, with our bad ‘self’".

According to the Greek Minister of Finance the failure of negotiations is to be blamed on the differences among the institutions-creditors, among the euro zone member states and in some cases on the differences inside some member states.

"There are three institutions that do not want the same thing, and the member states with their personal plans [...]. We are not in negotiations. We are negotiating for the right to negotiate," said Varoufakis.

In the midst of probably the most decisive week for the Greek issue, he has found time for interviews too. Before the German newspaper Bild Varoufakis states he has no intention to submit a new reform list to the meeting of the euro zone finance ministers this coming Thursday. "I will not do that, because the Eurogroup is not the right place for the presentation of proposals that have not yet become the subject of discussions and negotiations at a lower level."

However, he points out that the Greek negotiating group is ready "to invent a comprehensive solution with our partners at any time", adding that representatives of the three institutions-creditors should return to the negotiating table, bringing a "clear and stable proposal."

Tags: PoliticsNegotiations between Greece and creditorsYanis VaroufakisGreek Minister of FinanceThreat of Europe's disintegration
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