Troika-investigator MEP Karas sets the Greeks on fire

There is a news topic that it honestly surpasses me. It is complicated, it has lots of details of translation mistakes, pronunciations mistakes and lawmakers who don’t speak foreign languages and  to tell you the truth, I have no interest about. Yet I feel the need to post about it, even in short, because some important figures of the Greek and European Parliament life are involved. Primarily, Othmar Karas, the top investigator of EP digging in Troika’s role in the Greek bailout. Furthermore the conservative Austrian politician Karas is vice-chairman of the Christian democrat group  European People’s Party (EPP) in EU Parliament.

Othmar Karas is currently in Athens to investigate what the Troika did with its bailout mechanism or else “rescue program”. However, the Austrian MP attacked and sharply criticized the leader of main opposition party Alexis Tsipras from left-wing SYRIZA.

Addressing a Greek Parliamentary committee on Wednesday, Othmar Karas, said that Tsipras had failed to come up with any meaningful proposals when the two men met in Strasbourg on December 11th 2013.

“Tsipras said only one sentence, the only thing he said was that he supported the European Parliament and wished to grant it more powers in negotiations with the troika. He made no other criticism. He said only that he will support our report,”Karas said speaking in German.

The interpreter apparently confused “Tsipras” with “Zypern” [Tsipern] and translated “Cyprus.” THe STRIZA lawmakers who were present show no reaction. then Karas and his colleague, French MEP Liem Hoang Ngoc investigate all bailout programs, this of Cyprus as well.

when it was clear Karas had meant Tsipras and not Cyprus, a war of statements broke out.

SYRIZA press spokesman Panos Skourletis slammed the allegations as “false and defamatory,” and said that “Karas made a favor for his friend Samaras.”

The Greek government pointed at Tsipras in “HE-has-no-proposals” style.

Karas’ colleague Liem Hoang Ngoc denied Karas’s claim, saying that Tsipras had come up with “detailed economic, social analysis and policy proposals.” Hoang Ngoc, an economist from France, belongs to the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament.

Under the pressure of the strong SYRIZA reaction, being top news in Greece and burned from the flames he sparked,  Karas appeared to backtrack on his earlier remarks. “I’m not investigating Tsipras, I’m investigating troika,” he said during a press conference on Thursday.

Video: in Austrian-English

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Now SYRIZA wants that Karas officially apologizes.

The motive for Karas’ allegations? No idea!

Fact is that Karas triggered a civil war among his investigation committee members and stirred anger between the Greek government and the main opposition. With just one sentence.

Fact is that Karas seems to have some quarrelsome (Streitsüchtig in GER) character features.

 Fact is also that Othmar Karas has quite visible problems to pronounce the devils’ name in any language: “T-s-i-p-r-a-s!” 🙂

PS Ridiculous! Honestly.