Prime Minister George Papandreou invited opposition parties to offer proposals for a new mid-term austerity plan on Friday. He called for cooperation to improve Athens’ position in talks with the European Union.
“We have ahead of us fresh negotiations with the European Union… I call on party leaders to cooperate,” Papandreou said on public television.
“We must show that we are able to overcome party divisions.”
A national consensus “will be a guarantee to our partners” in the EU, said Papandreou, referring to ongoing talks on a second EU-IMF bailout package for Greece which is likely to be decided at the summit.
In a statement issued immediately after Prime Minister George Papandreou’s nationally televised address, Samaras said that “13 months after the ratification of the memorandum, the Prime Minister made an address today, to say the… same things he had said at the time.”
He added that the country “is in the same deadlock and that the credibility of the government’s economic policy has already been judged by its results.”
The central committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), said that “a proclamation was not necessary for George Papandreou to call on (main opposition New Democracy) ND party, (Popular Orthodox Rally leader George) Karatzaferis, (Democratic Alliance party leader Dora) Bakoyiannis and the other wiling, to support him more openly in the war he is escalating against the people.”
The left Coalition (Syn) party, stressed that, “the only consensus that is being given generously to the Prime Minister is that of the Troika and of the bankers.”
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