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Papandreou-Samaras Meeting Ends in Failure (again)

 
A day before “the mother of all strikes” and with thousands of riot police being rushed to Athens George Papandreou in a desperate bid to give the  impression that there is a united front before the talks with his EU counterparts, held crisis talks with leading opposition leader Antonis Samaras in order to ask for support on the stinging austerity measures due to be voted on by the Greek parliament on Thursday. The measures will determine whether Athens gets a brand new installment of aid from the €110bn rescue loans in order to be able to pay public sector wages and pensions.
 The meeting only lasted thirty minutes. Mr.Papandreou was forty-five minutes late, as he had to finish his final appeal  to wavering PASOK deputies and while the meeting  was initially scheduled to take place in the Maximos Mansion, Mr.Samaras was asked to go to PM’s office at the parliament. In, fact Greek media report that Mr.Samaras was informed about the delay on his way to the Maximos Mansion. The opposition leader seemd rather irritated by Mr. Papandreou’s speech right before their meeting. “I heard your speech, and I must say I’m rather disappointed. I can’t believe all  these accusations and hubris you fired against New Democracy.” 
As expected, Samaras denied any sort of cooperation as he strongly objects the austerity policies the socialists want to implement. He also repeated once more that  snap elections are the only way to settle their political differences and that the whole plan must be renegotiated underlining yet again the devastating results of Papandreou’s policies.
Mr Samaras has been criticized by EU leaders as being irresponsible in his propaganda against the EU-backed reforms and for wanting power at any price. But Samaras is not the only reason Papandreou should be worried. At least two MPs in Papandreou’s  PASOK party have stated they will not vote the measures because they are “anti-labour”.

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