Greek talks over spending cuts thwarted by internal bickering
GREEK politicians were at loggerheads yesterday over government spending cuts required to appease the struggling Eurozone country’s international bailout providers.
Amid the squabbling, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s government is attempting to find agreement on €12bn worth of cuts – both internally, and with the troika of the European Union, European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Fotis Kouvelis, leader of the Democratic Left party, was the latest to attack the plans. “The troika must stop attacking Greek society, which has certain limits,” he said, denying that any deal has been struck.
PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos also hit out at the troika, arguing that Greeks have already made “too many sacrifices” and calling for the period over which the measures are spread out to be expanded by a further two years.
Despite the vocal opposition, finance minister Yannis Stournaras said he expects a package of cuts to be finalised soon.