The recently released book by former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis continues to cause controversy in Greece.
The book, ‘Adults in the Room’, which reveals details of the first seven months of the SYRIZA-led administration in 2015, when Varoufakis was Fin Min, has yet to be published in Greek.
Sunday paper ‘Proto Thema’ has serialized parts of the book and every week a new twist in the drama of the Greek crisis unfolded two years ago comes into light.
This time, the paper published excerpts relating to the relationship between PM Alexis Tsipras and Euclid Tsakalotos, the current Finance Minister.
Tsakalotos was allegedly frustrated as he was left out from the first SYRIZA-led government.
Varoufakis claims that when he called Tsipras to ask him why Tsakalotos was left out, Tsipras replied that he was rude to him: “Sh** on him, Yanis. Let him aimlessly bounce around in the parliament”.
According to the book, when the government was looking for alternative sources of funding in case of an exit from the Euro currency block (Grexit), Panos Kammenos, the leader of Independent Greeks and junior government partner, asked Tsipras’ permission to look for funding from the USA.
“I can bring you billions of dollars from the other side of the Atlantic and make an agreement to exchange bonds with the US Federal Reserve,” claimed Kammenos, according to Varoufakis.
The former Finance minister says that he did not pay attention to Kammenos, but, he claims, Alexis Tsipras asked him to look into it.
“Although I was convinced it was a lie, I did my duty. I met this gentleman [Kammenos] in my office. As I had guessed, the dollar life jacket simply did not exist,” says Varoufakis.
In a related story, Finance ministry sources have rejected another Sunday press report, claiming that Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos had sharply criticized certain ministers for their handling of some important government initiatives and their general conduct during a meeting of SYRIZA’s central committee, saying that the paper has distorted facts.
“In a report published today, Parapolitika newspaper completely distorts the comments of members of the party’s [SYRIZA] central committee, presenting their statements as personal attacks between ministers,” the sources said.
“Even distortions should have limits,” they added.
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