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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 14-05-23Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] PM: An 'accident' is enough everything to be wastedANA/MPA---It would be a mistake to let the country fall back to instability because of the europarliament elections, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras told daily Ethnos in an interview."Because instability can have uncontrollable consequences…It took many sacrifices to get Greece back on its feet. But a single "accident" or a loose stance would be enough for all those things to get wasted and return to the point we were four years ago," he said. "Now we need stability more than ever. We averted the worst, we got into a recovery mode, but the risk of turning backwards has not been completely averted," he reiterated. He stressed that citizens on Sunday will not vote for a government but for the European Parliament. "Last Sunday's ballot, and this Sunday's are not about a ‘referendum'. Giving any kind of meaning to an election battle over other issues is extortionate and dangerous," he underlined. He noted that the Greek people do not want early elections "because they realize that such a development would now cause destabilization" and plunge the country into turmoil. "Some want to ‘tear the memoranda apart' but they don't know how. They want to give rises to the people with money that… don't exist." Referring to the coalition government, he said he achieved great accomplishments "that no one thought they were feasible… Now, that the hard times have passed, now that the recovery has started" it is more likely that the government will withstand. He added that "if those who seek destabilization and return to the crisis are denounced, then the Parliament will be able to complete its four-year term." Asked whether a negative result for PASOK could lead to early elections, the premier said: "Now we find ourselves before the elections. I can't and won't speak for another party… The main thing is to disapprove those who seek early elections. If this happens, then a solution for all the rest will be found." He also termed voting for Golden Dawn "a vote of rage and despair" and estimated that the more the country is exiting the crisis, the more despair will be eliminated and rage will be defused. [02] Invitation to all voters at the core of address by SYRIZA leaderANA-MPA -- The European Parliament elections of May 25 will be "a historic referendum", main opposition Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) leader Alexis Tsipras said at an open rally in Athens' Omonia Square on Thursday, as he invited all people "regardless of what they voted for up to now" to support the party.Tsipras focused on the invitation to unity of the Greek voters, while he made frequent mention of sending a message to the European Union "that the future Europe cannot be built without democracy, without equality among the peoples, without mutual respect and without solidarity." The party leader referred to the voting as "a historic referendum, which, like the one 40 years ago, got rid of the palace of kings and will now kick out the palace of interlinked interests in the political and economic establishment, which led our homeland to the destructiveness of the memorandums." SYRIZA, he said, will provide "a historic victory that will change Greece." Charging the government of Antonis Samaras with "desperately trying to again fool people," Tsipras accused Samaras of "unleashing an unprecedented frenzy of campaign promises the last two days," and said that Samaras' loss in the elections would be a loss for German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Tsipras accused the premier of "hiding from a debate" and of "hiding behind the backs of Merkel and former EU leader Jean-Claude Juncker, but he will not be able to hide behind the ballot boxes." He also charged the prime minister of "adopting an extreme-right agenda and divisory speech" and pledged that his party would "not hand over the working class to the neo-Nazis, nor let our people believe that fascism goes against the system." Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |