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German Chancellor Angela Merkel will tell Greeks she wants to keep their country in the euro when she visits Athens this week, but she faces a hostile reception from a people worn down by years of austerity and recession.
Many Greeks blame Merkel, who has publicly chastised them for much of the past three years, for the nation's plight. Opponents, some of whom have caricatured her as a bullying Nazi, have promised protests on Tuesday during her first visit to Greece since the euro zone crisis erupted there in 2009.
"She does not come to support Greece, which her policies have brought to the brink. She comes to save the corrupt, disgraced and servile political system," said Alexis Tsipras, who leads the opposition Syriza alliance. "We will give her the welcome she deserves."
About 6,000 policemen will be deployed in the capital for her 6-hour visit, turning the city center into a no-go zone for protest marches planned by labor unions and opposition parties.
"We don't want her here," said Yannis Georgiou, 72, who has seen his pension cut by one third. "We will take to the streets against austerity and against the government. Maybe Merkel will hear something and see what we're going through."
Merkel's visit is a sign of Germany's support for the coalition government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras as it struggles to agree new budget cuts with international lenders, overcome the objections of reluctant coalition partners and cope with rising public anger.
After toying with the idea of a Greek exit from the euro zone in the first half of 2012, Merkel has come full circle and decided the risks of the country leaving are too high, especially with a German election looming next year.
The trip is a sign of German solidarity, a message to the Greek leadership and people that Berlin does not want to cut them loose, and a signal to the members of Merkel's coalition who want Greece out that it's not going to happen soon.
At the same time, the trip shows Merkel's trust in Samaras. Aides to the chancellor say they have been positively surprised by his commitment to reform. One reason for not visiting Greece before was frustration with progress under his predecessors, technocrat Lucas Papademos and Socialist George Papandreou.
"In our view Samaras is really trying to get things done," one German official said, requesting anonymity. "Nobody should see this trip as a sign that all is perfect. But we recognize things are moving in the right direction."
The Greek government was ecstatic about the news, promising to treat Merkel with the honors befitting the leader of a great nation. Greek officials credited Samaras's charm offensive in Berlin in August for Germany's change of heart.
"Samaras showed a real will to change things. He stressed what Greece had to do, not what others had to do for Greece," a Greek government official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Merkel is scheduled to meet Samaras, President Karolos Papoulias and representatives of Greek industry.
In a measure of tension between Athens and Berlin earlier this year, Papoulias accused Merkel's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble of insulting the country by likening Greece to a bottomless pit.
BRACING FOR TROUBLE
Opposition parties, from the radical leftist Syriza to the right-wing Independent Greeks, have planned protests and police officials said they were bracing for violence.
For years, banner headlines and cartoons in the press have portrayed Germany as a bully and protesters burned Nazi effigies on the central Syntagma Square outside parliament.
The tone was more subdued in the newspapers on Sunday. To Proto Thema ran a "HEIL" headline but most others called on Merkel to take a hard look at the suffering of Greek people during her visit.
"Tell Merkel the truth," wrote Nikos Hatzinikolaou in Real News. "With unemployment at 25 percent and recession at 7 percent, for a fifth year, can lenders expect the country to survive and pay back its debts?"
The visit gives Merkel a chance to get a first-hand view of a country that could have a major influence on her own re-election hopes.
Greece is stuck in tough negotiations with inspectors from the "troika" of the International Monetary Fund, European Commission and European Central Bank over a fresh wave of 11.5 billion euros in cuts for the next two years, a condition for getting an installment of the 130 billion euro bailout which is keeping the country afloat.
As difficult as these talks are, lenders are now realizing Greece needs more time, money or both. The IMF wants official lenders such as Germany to take a "haircut" under which the value of the Greek debt they hold would be radically reduced. Private bondholders have already swallowed such a hit but EU partners prefer other measures than to suffer more losses.
In order to avoid going back to parliament to request a third rescue for Athens - a step Merkel allies acknowledge could be political suicide for her - Germany will probably have to agree to other concessions to plug a hole in Greece's finances.
These could include giving Samaras an extra two years to make painful cuts and agreeing to a reduction in the interest rates Athens pays on its EU loans.
Before making concessions that are sure to provoke a backlash at home, Merkel will want to look Samaras in the eye and make clear to him that she has done all she can - that it is now up to him. Politically, she will have next to no room to give the Greeks more before next year's German vote.
"She has to lay it on the line and make clear to the Greek government what the options are," Michael Fuchs, a senior lawmaker in Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) told Reuters. "Whether the conditions for additional help are met depends not on Germany, but on the Greek government alone."
相關(guān)中文資料
德國總理默克爾將於本周出訪希臘,傳達(dá)希望該國留在歐元區(qū)的意愿.但對(duì)飽受數(shù)年財(cái)政撙減與經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退之苦的希臘民眾而言,默克爾此行恐怕是不受歡迎.
很多希臘人將目前自己國家所處的困境歸咎於默克爾,反對(duì)者誓言將在周二默克爾到訪時(shí)舉行**活動(dòng).這將是默克爾自2009年爆發(fā)歐元區(qū)危機(jī)以來首次訪問希臘.
"她不是來支持希臘的,她的政策已經(jīng)把希臘推到了懸崖邊上.她是來搭救這個(gè)腐敗、可恥和卑躬屈膝的政治體系的."左翼激進(jìn)聯(lián)盟黨領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人齊普拉斯(Alexis Tsipras)說道,"我們會(huì)讓她得到她應(yīng)得的待遇."
雅典將為默克爾六小時(shí)的訪問部署約6,000人的警力,屆時(shí)將禁止工會(huì)和*計(jì)劃的*游xing進(jìn)入雅典市中心.
"我們不希望她來,"養(yǎng)老金被削減了三分之一的72歲的Yannis Georgiou表示,"我們將走上街頭*撙節(jié)舉措,*政府.或許默克爾將能聽到,并看到我們正在經(jīng)歷的."
默克爾出訪是德國支持希臘總理薩馬拉斯(Antonis Samaras)聯(lián)合政府的一個(gè)信號(hào).希臘正艱難地與國際貸款機(jī)構(gòu)就新的預(yù)算削減達(dá)成共識(shí),努力克服執(zhí)政聯(lián)盟夥伴的反對(duì),并竭力應(yīng)對(duì)公眾日益升溫的怒火.
在今年上半年考慮過希臘退出歐元區(qū)的想法後,默克爾最終認(rèn)為希臘退出的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)太高,特別是在明年德國大選臨近的情況下.
默克爾此次出訪是展現(xiàn)德國團(tuán)結(jié)一致的表現(xiàn),旨在向希臘領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人和人民傳達(dá)柏林不愿拋棄他們的信息,而且亦是在向希望希臘退出的默克爾執(zhí)政聯(lián)盟成員發(fā)出訊號(hào),即這種情況不會(huì)很快發(fā)生.
同時(shí),默克爾的出訪亦展現(xiàn)了對(duì)薩馬拉斯的信任.默克爾的助手稱,薩馬拉斯改革的決心一直令他們感到驚喜.之前沒有訪問希臘的一個(gè)原因是對(duì)薩馬拉斯的前任--帕帕季莫斯和帕潘德里歐的改革進(jìn)展感到失望.
"我們認(rèn)為薩馬拉斯確實(shí)在試圖解決問題,"一位要求匿名的德國官員稱,"沒人認(rèn)為這次訪問表明一切都很完美.但我們認(rèn)識(shí)到事情在朝正確的方向發(fā)展."
希臘政府對(duì)默克爾來訪的消息感到萬份欣喜,承諾將以大國禮遇招待默克爾.希臘官員將德國改變心意歸功于薩馬拉斯8月出訪德國時(shí)的魅力攻勢.
一位不愿具名的希臘政府官員告訴路透:"薩馬拉斯展現(xiàn)了做出改變的真實(shí)意愿.他強(qiáng)調(diào)了希臘必須做什麼,而非其它人必須為希臘做什麼."
默克爾將與薩馬拉斯、希臘總統(tǒng)Karolos Papoulias和希臘行業(yè)代表們會(huì)晤.
但是*都計(jì)劃好舉行**活動(dòng),希臘警方稱已經(jīng)做好了應(yīng)對(duì)暴力沖突的準(zhǔn)備.
周日各報(bào)紙的語調(diào)較為溫和.Proto Thema刊登的是"HEIL(嗨)"的大標(biāo)題,但多數(shù)其他報(bào)紙呼吁默克爾在出訪期間認(rèn)真關(guān)注希臘民眾的遭遇.
"告訴默克爾真相,"Nikos Hatzinikolaou在Real News中寫道,"失業(yè)率高達(dá)25%,經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退幅度為7%,衰退已進(jìn)入第五個(gè)年頭,金主還能指望希臘存活下去并償還債務(wù)嗎?"
此次出訪給了默克爾近距離觀察希臘的機(jī)會(huì),可能會(huì)對(duì)她自身競選連任的希望帶來重大影響.
希臘正陷於與國際貨幣基金組織(IMF)、歐盟執(zhí)委會(huì)和歐洲央行這三方金主的艱難協(xié)商之中,討論未來兩年希臘減支115億歐元事宜.這是投放1,300億歐元幫助希臘維持運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)的一個(gè)條件.
由於這些談判困難重重,貸款方眼下意識(shí)到希臘需要更多時(shí)間、更多資金,或者兩者都要.IMF希望德國等官方貸款人大幅減記所持希臘債務(wù).民間債權(quán)人已經(jīng)忍受了此類損失,但歐盟夥伴則傾向於采取其他措施,而不是遭受更多損失.
為避免再向議會(huì)為希臘請(qǐng)求第三輪救助,德國可能將不得不同意作出其他讓步以彌補(bǔ)希臘財(cái)政缺口.
措施可能包括再給予薩馬拉斯兩年的時(shí)間來進(jìn)行痛苦的減支,并且同意削減希臘支付歐盟貸款的利率.
這些做法勢必會(huì)在德國國內(nèi)引發(fā)反彈,在作出這些讓步前,默克爾將希望向薩馬拉斯開誠布公,明確告訴他自己已竭盡全力,現(xiàn)在將取決於他.從政治上而言,她將幾乎沒有空間在明年的德國選舉前為希臘付出更多.
"她必需直截了當(dāng),把選項(xiàng)明確告訴希臘政府,"基民黨資深議員Michael Fuchs告訴路透,"額外援助的條件能否滿足并不取決於德國,而純粹要看希臘政府."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will tell Greeks she wants to keep their country in the euro when she visits Athens this week, but she faces a hostile reception from a people worn down by years of austerity and recession.
Many Greeks blame Merkel, who has publicly chastised them for much of the past three years, for the nation's plight. Opponents, some of whom have caricatured her as a bullying Nazi, have promised protests on Tuesday during her first visit to Greece since the euro zone crisis erupted there in 2009.
"She does not come to support Greece, which her policies have brought to the brink. She comes to save the corrupt, disgraced and servile political system," said Alexis Tsipras, who leads the opposition Syriza alliance. "We will give her the welcome she deserves."
About 6,000 policemen will be deployed in the capital for her 6-hour visit, turning the city center into a no-go zone for protest marches planned by labor unions and opposition parties.
"We don't want her here," said Yannis Georgiou, 72, who has seen his pension cut by one third. "We will take to the streets against austerity and against the government. Maybe Merkel will hear something and see what we're going through."
Merkel's visit is a sign of Germany's support for the coalition government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras as it struggles to agree new budget cuts with international lenders, overcome the objections of reluctant coalition partners and cope with rising public anger.
After toying with the idea of a Greek exit from the euro zone in the first half of 2012, Merkel has come full circle and decided the risks of the country leaving are too high, especially with a German election looming next year.
The trip is a sign of German solidarity, a message to the Greek leadership and people that Berlin does not want to cut them loose, and a signal to the members of Merkel's coalition who want Greece out that it's not going to happen soon.
At the same time, the trip shows Merkel's trust in Samaras. Aides to the chancellor say they have been positively surprised by his commitment to reform. One reason for not visiting Greece before was frustration with progress under his predecessors, technocrat Lucas Papademos and Socialist George Papandreou.
"In our view Samaras is really trying to get things done," one German official said, requesting anonymity. "Nobody should see this trip as a sign that all is perfect. But we recognize things are moving in the right direction."
The Greek government was ecstatic about the news, promising to treat Merkel with the honors befitting the leader of a great nation. Greek officials credited Samaras's charm offensive in Berlin in August for Germany's change of heart.
"Samaras showed a real will to change things. He stressed what Greece had to do, not what others had to do for Greece," a Greek government official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Merkel is scheduled to meet Samaras, President Karolos Papoulias and representatives of Greek industry.
In a measure of tension between Athens and Berlin earlier this year, Papoulias accused Merkel's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble of insulting the country by likening Greece to a bottomless pit.
BRACING FOR TROUBLE
Opposition parties, from the radical leftist Syriza to the right-wing Independent Greeks, have planned protests and police officials said they were bracing for violence.
For years, banner headlines and cartoons in the press have portrayed Germany as a bully and protesters burned Nazi effigies on the central Syntagma Square outside parliament.
The tone was more subdued in the newspapers on Sunday. To Proto Thema ran a "HEIL" headline but most others called on Merkel to take a hard look at the suffering of Greek people during her visit.
"Tell Merkel the truth," wrote Nikos Hatzinikolaou in Real News. "With unemployment at 25 percent and recession at 7 percent, for a fifth year, can lenders expect the country to survive and pay back its debts?"
The visit gives Merkel a chance to get a first-hand view of a country that could have a major influence on her own re-election hopes.
Greece is stuck in tough negotiations with inspectors from the "troika" of the International Monetary Fund, European Commission and European Central Bank over a fresh wave of 11.5 billion euros in cuts for the next two years, a condition for getting an installment of the 130 billion euro bailout which is keeping the country afloat.
As difficult as these talks are, lenders are now realizing Greece needs more time, money or both. The IMF wants official lenders such as Germany to take a "haircut" under which the value of the Greek debt they hold would be radically reduced. Private bondholders have already swallowed such a hit but EU partners prefer other measures than to suffer more losses.
In order to avoid going back to parliament to request a third rescue for Athens - a step Merkel allies acknowledge could be political suicide for her - Germany will probably have to agree to other concessions to plug a hole in Greece's finances.
These could include giving Samaras an extra two years to make painful cuts and agreeing to a reduction in the interest rates Athens pays on its EU loans.
Before making concessions that are sure to provoke a backlash at home, Merkel will want to look Samaras in the eye and make clear to him that she has done all she can - that it is now up to him. Politically, she will have next to no room to give the Greeks more before next year's German vote.
"She has to lay it on the line and make clear to the Greek government what the options are," Michael Fuchs, a senior lawmaker in Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) told Reuters. "Whether the conditions for additional help are met depends not on Germany, but on the Greek government alone."
相關(guān)中文資料
德國總理默克爾將於本周出訪希臘,傳達(dá)希望該國留在歐元區(qū)的意愿.但對(duì)飽受數(shù)年財(cái)政撙減與經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退之苦的希臘民眾而言,默克爾此行恐怕是不受歡迎.
很多希臘人將目前自己國家所處的困境歸咎於默克爾,反對(duì)者誓言將在周二默克爾到訪時(shí)舉行**活動(dòng).這將是默克爾自2009年爆發(fā)歐元區(qū)危機(jī)以來首次訪問希臘.
"她不是來支持希臘的,她的政策已經(jīng)把希臘推到了懸崖邊上.她是來搭救這個(gè)腐敗、可恥和卑躬屈膝的政治體系的."左翼激進(jìn)聯(lián)盟黨領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人齊普拉斯(Alexis Tsipras)說道,"我們會(huì)讓她得到她應(yīng)得的待遇."
雅典將為默克爾六小時(shí)的訪問部署約6,000人的警力,屆時(shí)將禁止工會(huì)和*計(jì)劃的*游xing進(jìn)入雅典市中心.
"我們不希望她來,"養(yǎng)老金被削減了三分之一的72歲的Yannis Georgiou表示,"我們將走上街頭*撙節(jié)舉措,*政府.或許默克爾將能聽到,并看到我們正在經(jīng)歷的."
默克爾出訪是德國支持希臘總理薩馬拉斯(Antonis Samaras)聯(lián)合政府的一個(gè)信號(hào).希臘正艱難地與國際貸款機(jī)構(gòu)就新的預(yù)算削減達(dá)成共識(shí),努力克服執(zhí)政聯(lián)盟夥伴的反對(duì),并竭力應(yīng)對(duì)公眾日益升溫的怒火.
在今年上半年考慮過希臘退出歐元區(qū)的想法後,默克爾最終認(rèn)為希臘退出的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)太高,特別是在明年德國大選臨近的情況下.
默克爾此次出訪是展現(xiàn)德國團(tuán)結(jié)一致的表現(xiàn),旨在向希臘領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人和人民傳達(dá)柏林不愿拋棄他們的信息,而且亦是在向希望希臘退出的默克爾執(zhí)政聯(lián)盟成員發(fā)出訊號(hào),即這種情況不會(huì)很快發(fā)生.
同時(shí),默克爾的出訪亦展現(xiàn)了對(duì)薩馬拉斯的信任.默克爾的助手稱,薩馬拉斯改革的決心一直令他們感到驚喜.之前沒有訪問希臘的一個(gè)原因是對(duì)薩馬拉斯的前任--帕帕季莫斯和帕潘德里歐的改革進(jìn)展感到失望.
"我們認(rèn)為薩馬拉斯確實(shí)在試圖解決問題,"一位要求匿名的德國官員稱,"沒人認(rèn)為這次訪問表明一切都很完美.但我們認(rèn)識(shí)到事情在朝正確的方向發(fā)展."
希臘政府對(duì)默克爾來訪的消息感到萬份欣喜,承諾將以大國禮遇招待默克爾.希臘官員將德國改變心意歸功于薩馬拉斯8月出訪德國時(shí)的魅力攻勢.
一位不愿具名的希臘政府官員告訴路透:"薩馬拉斯展現(xiàn)了做出改變的真實(shí)意愿.他強(qiáng)調(diào)了希臘必須做什麼,而非其它人必須為希臘做什麼."
默克爾將與薩馬拉斯、希臘總統(tǒng)Karolos Papoulias和希臘行業(yè)代表們會(huì)晤.
但是*都計(jì)劃好舉行**活動(dòng),希臘警方稱已經(jīng)做好了應(yīng)對(duì)暴力沖突的準(zhǔn)備.
周日各報(bào)紙的語調(diào)較為溫和.Proto Thema刊登的是"HEIL(嗨)"的大標(biāo)題,但多數(shù)其他報(bào)紙呼吁默克爾在出訪期間認(rèn)真關(guān)注希臘民眾的遭遇.
"告訴默克爾真相,"Nikos Hatzinikolaou在Real News中寫道,"失業(yè)率高達(dá)25%,經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退幅度為7%,衰退已進(jìn)入第五個(gè)年頭,金主還能指望希臘存活下去并償還債務(wù)嗎?"
此次出訪給了默克爾近距離觀察希臘的機(jī)會(huì),可能會(huì)對(duì)她自身競選連任的希望帶來重大影響.
希臘正陷於與國際貨幣基金組織(IMF)、歐盟執(zhí)委會(huì)和歐洲央行這三方金主的艱難協(xié)商之中,討論未來兩年希臘減支115億歐元事宜.這是投放1,300億歐元幫助希臘維持運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)的一個(gè)條件.
由於這些談判困難重重,貸款方眼下意識(shí)到希臘需要更多時(shí)間、更多資金,或者兩者都要.IMF希望德國等官方貸款人大幅減記所持希臘債務(wù).民間債權(quán)人已經(jīng)忍受了此類損失,但歐盟夥伴則傾向於采取其他措施,而不是遭受更多損失.
為避免再向議會(huì)為希臘請(qǐng)求第三輪救助,德國可能將不得不同意作出其他讓步以彌補(bǔ)希臘財(cái)政缺口.
措施可能包括再給予薩馬拉斯兩年的時(shí)間來進(jìn)行痛苦的減支,并且同意削減希臘支付歐盟貸款的利率.
這些做法勢必會(huì)在德國國內(nèi)引發(fā)反彈,在作出這些讓步前,默克爾將希望向薩馬拉斯開誠布公,明確告訴他自己已竭盡全力,現(xiàn)在將取決於他.從政治上而言,她將幾乎沒有空間在明年的德國選舉前為希臘付出更多.
"她必需直截了當(dāng),把選項(xiàng)明確告訴希臘政府,"基民黨資深議員Michael Fuchs告訴路透,"額外援助的條件能否滿足并不取決於德國,而純粹要看希臘政府."