Berlin is not tired to reiterate and chew the same old “NEIN” when it comes to World War II Reparations to Greece. A double NEIN came today Monday, after the statements by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Thessaloniki over the weekend.
Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said for one more time that the issue is “legally and politically settled.”
In the same tone even though a tiny bit more diplomatic, Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said that “the German government has no intention whatsoever to formally launch negotiations and discussions or something similar with the Greek government on the issue of reparations.”
However, Schaefer did not categorically rule out that this issue may be the subject of discussions in the context of a broader dialogue between the two countries, a dialogue to be conducted under the auspices of the Greek and the German Foreign Ministry. Schaefer confirmed that the Greek Foreign Ministry has made concrete proposals for a dialogue to intensify Greek-German relations beyond the diplomatic level.
I know where the German willingness for a constructive dialogue will end: into endless meetings without concrete results, like the endless and fruitless Greek-Turkish dialogue on the issue that divide the two countries.
Just to keep in touch, so to say.
Of course, Germany is determined to turn down any Greek claims for WWII Reparations because if Greece will receive some, other countries occupied by the Nazis in the WWII may raise claims as well. And then, the German export surplus of several billion euros would be at risk to have to be spent on war reparations.
The problem of Germany is that the SYRIZA-led government is determined too to bring up the issue again and again.
The Syriza-Government is determined to bring it up again and again for just one reason: It costs nothing (who cares about diplomatic damages) but keeps the patriotic Greeks happy at least in one aspect.
They know perfectly well, that there will never, ever be a slightest chance of seeing one Euro.
Pure populism. Nothing else
Dear KTG
Rest assured that this SYRIZA-led government will do nothing to advance the Nazi WWII reparations issue! All this is a communications fiesta aiming at naive (stupid) voters. This government (even more so than the previous ones) is too subservient to their German masters to even whisper any such claims. The Germans know it; Merkel has such a good laugh every time she hears her employee’s speeches to the citizens of her colony…
just more empty words from the far Left…as usual…all words, little/no action.Greece would be better suited by getting more access to capital,with supervision from the ECB,so, this financial mess is limited in the future.
Bonds buying by ECB will end in 2017, so Greece will stay the only country that will not participate in this program
I think it is time that Greeks embrace Merkel as a decent politician working for the common good. You certainly don’t want what would happen if Merkel falls – she is saving all us Europeans from right-wing populists. As a coup within her own party is becoming more likely due to the recent AfD victories, this is very bad news for any Greek or EU citizen in general.
Due to the Euro we are all sitting in the same boat, let’s not sink it.
Greeks’ problem is not Merkel but Schaeuble
It is far from clear to me how much Schaeuble acts independently of Merkel. Most Germans (and Greek diplomats) claim that they are a team — something like good cop, bad cop — working closely together.
As Xenos says there is no Merkel or Schaeuble or any other person isolated. There is German elites and governments attacking Europe, starting from the weakest links, such as Greece and the south. Adolf’s dream come true via the new governance system, which I call “economic fascism”: do not attack individuals/states themselves, simply seize their assets by any means, legal or not.
Bullshit! Meanwhile German scientists were analysing the major news, talk-shows and newspapers and finding out that over 90% it was no moderation but a tsunami of hunt against Greece, with the missing 10% being arrogant and patriarchal blurbs like “do your homework” and one thing is for sure: Without this anti-Greek campaign aiming on extorting pogroms these AFDs would not exist, interesting enough is that German right-wingers telling all German media being liars but in the case of Greece they believe all these lies.
Dear Markus
The Euro boat has been letting in water for a long time. Mrs Merkel and her party drilled the holes hoping to drawn everybody but themselves. The smart mice abandon ship now – the British already did!
More or less all other countries received their share, if there would be other countries except from Greece why should they keep on waiting?