Greece’s Alternate Finance Minister Evklidis Tsakalotos revealed the determination of the government to “go to rift” if negotiations have no successful conclusion and the list of reforms would not be accepted.
Speaking to private Star TV on Friday morning, Tsakalotos did not explicitly named the country’s creditors but it’s rather obvious.
“I think the scenario of rupture is something that also Yanis Varoufakis mentioned at his government program statement and this is something that Greek people appreciated. the people understood that we support the world of labor, people who lost a lot of things during the crisis and that we are ready, if things will not go well, to go for a rift,” Tsakalotos said and added:
“If you don’t have ‘the rift’ in your mind even as an option, it is obvious that the lenders will push for the same measures as before. that is we could be like Mister Samaras. We purposely create ambiguity with our partners about our intentions because they should know that we are ready for a rift, otherwise you don’t negotiate.”
Tsakalotos refrained from revealing the government’s ‘secret cards’ for the case that negotiations with creditors will fail and stressed that “this is a bargain chip the other side should not know.”
The Alternate Minister in charge of International and Economics relations said that people fully understand that the government has not ruled out the rift-option and that government’s main target is a “positive scenario.”
PS Was this interview some kind of lecture on “economics and bargain dialectics”? If the Greek Finance Minister guys take time and carefully read the results of recent public opinion surveys, they will realize that Greeks support a government that negotiates with creditors but it does not support neither a rift with creditors nor a Greek exit form the eurozone.
But here I have to mention that I am not sure whether what the Greek Financial Team says to media and to creditors are the same things.
Guys, grow up!
He has a pretty good point though: German governement and central bank have made very clear that they don’t want to negociate. And the former agreement is unsustainable. So if the Greek governement is not ready for a rift, they can as well leave the government and give the keys of the country to European democrats.
Exactly!
“that Greeks support a government that negotiates with creditors but it does not support neither a rift with creditors nor a Greek exit form the eurozone.” This is delusional, there is no such thing as negotiating and at the same time staying at the eurozone no matter what. The “Institutions” are not negotiating they are demanding, only way either than complete capitulation to the “Institutions” is to put the eurozone exit on the table as a possible option (plus debt haircut, plus nationalize the banks).
Defending a “honorable agreement” and “negotiation but never leaving the euro” is a delusion, it is not serious and it can be the most dangerous of behaviors because by pursuing this illusion the government and the greek people will not get ready for what comes next. Furthermore they might stumble to a position much worse than if there was a deliberate choice either for the exit or capitulation to the “institutions” (the two only real choices).
I amslowly coming to final conclusion that democracy is alive in Europe as long as you agree with what Germany says and does. I have great hopes for Syriza and been a keen follower of Yanis Varoufakis for a few years now but when I read and hear what they are up against not only from outside their own country but from within, I despair for the world as we know it. I was never one for supporting leaving Europe but now tend to agree with one of the comments made that this last four years has been a financial occupation and although it would cause absolute mayhem, Greece should leave…..
I would strongly disagree!
Look at the Scandinavian countries, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Austria, U.K
Those countries do not have a large dept against E.U nor a budget deficit that’s insane.
Let’s say that Germany today would say “Fine, you know what. You don’t owe us a dime. Your dept is written off and Greece doesn’t need to pay us anything.”
Then Greece would STILL go bankrupt, why? Because the Greek state has less income than what it costs running the Greek state.
Doesn’t matter who’s in charge or who’s running the country until _that_ problem has been resolved.
If you’re bleeding, stop first the bleeding, then work on getting better.
You say Greece should leave EU and I agree, because I think it will be a great lesson (however extremely harsh one) to firstly sort out your own problems because your problems will not disappear because you leave EU or go back to drachma.
The UK has a budget deficit almost as high as the Greek one. The only EU country that is not in a serious position with its fiscal policy is Germany. Why? Because in a parasitic fashion it spent 15 years with the euro (as opposed to the high DM) building up its overseas export markets at the same time as running up trade surpluses with southern European countries.
Germany is not a model economy at all. This seems to be something that the German people have not grasped, owing to the massive propaganda campaign from Schaeuble and Merkel and their cronies. Germany is a parasite which is abusing its eurozone membership at the expense of almost all others. What they do, only one or two countries can do: if everyone is a parasite, there is no organism to prey on.
Sure, I apologise U.K was a bad example for the budget deficit, but they are not even close to the same bad situation as Greece, count it all together with unemployment rates, private equity, investment climate and U.K is a strong country that doesn’t have to “bow” to the German “forces”.
My point is still valid, Greece have a big problem and Greeks have to solve that.
Desperately repeating the mantra “It’s Germany’s fault” doesn’t make it Germany’s fault.
And if it’s Germany’s fault for having products and services that people actually want to buy, yeah. In that case Germany is guilty of being a parasite.
And also if building up your overseas markets and running up trade surpluses is actually a bad thing, yes, then they are guilty for that as well!
star , mega etc.
wo are the owners?
yes they are the Greek ritch People.
now(maybe) they must pay for the licence to operate.
they never payed for this, it is about 100 Million a year.
we will see how this will work, I mean the corrupt working between the ritch and the politicans.
have your talk on my channel, but do not talk agains my interests.
I hope varouvakis will stay in this goverment, for me he is the only integer Person.
it has notting to do with this subject but it comms from my hard!
When SYRIZA came into power polls gave 80% support for staying in the euro. Two weeks ago polls showed c.54% for staying in the euro and 46% pro-drachma.
the eurodrahma % is just among syriza voters, the support refers also to
voters of other parties.