And when you think you’ve seen and heard everything, here comes a Austrian comedian, coming out from a local pub, missing one step after the other and between two retches complains about bad quality beer and rotten Linzer torte. The politician from Upper Austria is a grim mood like a frustrated Carnival prince after a long schnapps night. Christoph Leitl happens to be also the President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. Member of the right-populist Austrian People’s Party – ÖVP.
In an interview to Austrian magazine profil, Leitl claims that debt-ridden Greece should abandon national territory to … Turkey. No. Leitl doesn’t say as some German politicians did in the past, that Greece should sell islands (to Turkish businessmen). Leilt claims, Greece should give up national territory to Turkish state.
President of Economic Chamber? Greek Chambers of Commerce should immediately cut any relations with their Austrian counterparts, and international European of global Chambers should expel him. Better, this joker resigns!
Below some excerpts from the interview translated into English:
profile: You have suggested that the highly indebted Greek government should sell “remote, uninhabited islands.” What exactly is the point?
Leitl: Iknow, I also sit regularly in the pub of Ochsenwirt [ EN =Ox-pub !!!] in Neumarkt. With each new aid package, the anti-Greek sentiment is rising in Europe. We have to do with a demagogic populist movement to do.profile: Your proposal is classified as a demagogic-populist one …
Leitl: It’s about the symbolism: that a country that urgently needs help is ready to give up a piece of its sovereignty.profil: But who should I want to buy an uninhabited island?
Leitl: Look at the map. Turkey would be very much interested.profil: You mean Turkish investors?
Leitl: No, no. The Turkish government, of course. That is why I spoke of uninhabited, remoted islands.profile: Greece should abandon territory to historical arch-enemy Turkey? Are you serious?
Leitl: Yes, of course. On long term, I see a very significant convergence between the EU – i.e. Greece – and Turkey. Such a gesture might even solve the Cyprus conflict. Abandoning parts of its sovereignty would be a sign of gratitude for the help.profil: But Greece has already given up large parts of its sovereignty especially in budgetary matters. That would be nothing but a humiliation. Even more so, when Turkey is not even a EU members, neither it participates in the rescue package.
Leitl: If one sees it like that, you’re right. Conversely, if the Greeks do it on their own initiative as a symbolic act – how do you believe this will impact the right-wing populists?profil: But you can not ask a country to give up territory out of fear of the right-wing populists.
Leitl: I do not ask. This will have to come form the Greeks themselves, as a symbol of pride and self-consciousness. (Full Interview in German HERE )
I don’t know what Ox-pub owners give their princes to drink. But these drinks must have definitely expired long time ago.
Christoph Leitl is also President of the European Economic Association (SME Union), Honorary President of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry EUROCHAMBRES and Chairman of the Global Chamber Platform.
Carnival Prince in German speaking countries = The carnival prince is deemed to be the highest representative of the festivities, leading the main parades throughout the week. The prince, also called “Seine Tollitaet” (His Madness), is the most important personage of the carnival. His float is the final one in the large parade on Shrove Monday. The naming as “prince” came as late as 1872, prior to it the name was “Held Carneval” (hero carnival), the personification of carnival.
Abandoning parts of its sovereignty would be a sign of gratitude for the help. Really??!! *@#$%^& !!!!!!!!!!! ALSO &^%$#@* Yourself!!!!! IF this is truely the feeling of the eu no wonder they wanted such deep cuts in our military so we wouldn’t be able to defend ourselves against the north invasion and a replay of 1974 on our islands from turkey. Unfortunately I can see turkey from grandma’s varoda and there is still talk of the Massacare of Chios. leitl words sound like another infamous person that came from his country. Can anyone say zieg hiel? IDIOT !!!!!!!!!!
Perhaps he thinks that now the EU owns the Greeks, body & soul, they might just as well donate their terroritory to their one time enemies….Don’t discount it, because who knows where politicans are concerned, if they can sell out the people of Greece, to the EU they’d sell anything, even their soul to the devil if it was profitable to them,
The story dates back a bit, to press-campaign times and Greece’ man in Vienna condemned it already:
http://derstandard.at/plink/1329703193264?sap=2&_pid=24972101#pid24972101
There are other rumours going round like some main shit can’t be implemented as dealt out and needs a change of a constitution law and that isn’t possible before 2014.
But i think that’s funny good news:2014?
One should check what the constitution says of too many snap-elections in a row, may be it says constitution laws can’t be changed in such times…
we had about the constitution thing, it’s not before 2013.
The Greek people need to put their act together and made a choice.
You can’t stop other people from making ridiculous comments or demands if your bottom line is to take the bail out.
This is also my own experience. If I have decided to buy a particular car, I immediately am in a disadvantage as I can’t negotiate the best deal. Only later when I realize there is no one car that I must buy that I start to gain the upper hand.
Zero Hedge posted this link
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/europes-cash-trash-ltro-scam-and-indentured-servitude-citizenry
that basically claimed Merkel has boxed Greece into a corner. Whether Greece defaults now has little impact on the Euro zone, thus Merkel doesn’t even care anymore. In fact, she may privately wish Greece to default and leave on its own choice, thus relieving her any blame.
Do some people in Greece feel the same way, so it’s better to suck in more bailout anyway?
Ausria has enough to pay for Hypo Group Alpe Adria (HGAA), a bankrupt Finacial Group (costs: 450 Mio.€). Raiffeisenbank International (RBI) und der Erste Group have massive problems in Hungary.
The Interview was given for the austrian public. These firebrands in Austria, Germany or Greece will not solve our problems, they will make them even worse. So why reporting?
If a regular person gets drunk, drives a car, and kills someone, they are guilty of vehicular homicide. If someone kills someone accidentally, they are guilty of manslaughter. If somebody destroys an economic system intentionally, in order to enrich themselves, and people die as a result, they are guilty of economic murder.
That is exactly what many European politicians and bankers are guilty of. Suicide rates in Greece have increased due to economic stress. Greeks, and others throughout Europe, are dying because they cannot afford medicine, or food, or heating.
Those responsible must be dealt with, and harshly. It is no use asking psychopathic politicians or bankers to please prosecute themselves – they will not. It is up to the people of Greece, and Europe as a whole, to take things into their own hands. It is time for revolution.