The Greek issue is ruining German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s agenda at the G7 meeting in the Bavarian Alps, German newspaper Die Welt reported on Sunday.
Merkel wanted to “Merkelize” the world at the G7 meeting, but her plan to close the thorny Greek issue before the summit has failed, the newspaper said. The Chancellor had invested considerable political capital on Greece last week, ahead of the summit, but there is one thing she still doesn’t know after the intense diplomatic effort: If Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will come to an agreement with the Europeans and if his party will follow him.
According to the newspaper, Merkel’s biggest fear is that Germany will be considered primarily responsible even for a possible Greek exit from the euro. “The motto will be: Germany, the country responsible for two world wars in the 20th century, which committed heinous crimes in Greece, is now pressuring the country out of the heart of the EU, the monetary union.”
The report also said the German Chancellor wanted to discuss other topics in the summit and achieve a small but positive progress. The plan was to “Merkelize” the world. But after the developments of the past week on Greece, Merkel is in despair: U.S. President Barack Obama, the IMF, even her own party, as well as her Finance Minister, put huge pressure on her – but toward different directions.
Die Welt also claimed that Merkel’s main problem is the widening gap between her views and those of Wolfgang Schaeuble. A Grexit was never a serious option for the Chancellor, but the Finance Minister, wanting to protect European rules, argues that “bigger flexibility will have more serious repercussions than a Greek bankruptcy.”
The rift between the two widened this week. German tabloid Bild reported that Schaeuble may resign if Merkel makes major concessions. The report was denied, but for most analysts, the issue exists.
(source: ana-mpa)
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