Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-02-01

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Tsipras: Program review will conclude without backing down on principles

[02] Mitsotakis: Present government trying to build 'new corruption, worse than the old'

[01] Tsipras: Program review will conclude without backing down on principles

"What the IMF is requesting is beyond any economic and constitutional logic,' he said. "Against the IMF's irrational demands, we have numbers as our allies."

Speaking to New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, he said the government is not looking for MPs willing to vote for new measures."All you care about is returning to power […] Who asked you to vote new measures? If we're seeking a unified line it is to reject them on behalf of the Geek people and society, not to vote new ones," he said.

He then criticized Mitsotakis for asking for elections. "Asking for elections before the review has concluded is either or recklessness or useful idiocy Mr. Mitsotakis," he said. "We won't abandon the Greek people in the hands of the willing."

Commenting on the committee report, Tsipras said Justice will decide whether there are criminal responsibilities for politicians or ministers. "The committee report shows that the media owe the banks 1.3 billion euros. The largest part of those will never be returned," he said. "New Democracy (ND) and PASOK have taken – from banks alone – 400 million euros. These loans were guaranteed by future state aid [granted to parties]. No banker wondered how these loans would be secured," he added.

"How many millions did ND and PASOK stash into their secret funds and where did they end up?" he said, mentioned the bribes involving armament programs and the Siemens and Novartis cases. "It's time for answers," he said.

[02] Mitsotakis: Present government trying to build 'new corruption, worse than the old'

Speaking during a debate to discuss the findings of a Parliamentary investigation into the loans to political parties and media enterprises, Mitsotakis accused Tsipras of presenting "false dilemmas, conspiracy theories and character assassinations."

The prime minister was "going under", ND's leader claimed, and trying to erect barriers to protect himself: the first of these was a clientelist state, with public-sector appointments for those that didn't deserve them, and the second was the so-called "battle" against corruption and graft.

"You accused the old political system of being collectively corrupt. There is corruption in Greece but you did not fight it; instead you attempted to consort with it," he said, accusing the government of "attempting to build a new corruption that was worse than the old".

"Your attempt to control the broadcasting sector collapsed after the Council of State judgement. For you the fight against corruption is a pretext for gathering all powers to yourself," the main opposition leader said.

Mitsotakis ended by saying that the present government was the "most harmful" that Greece has known in the post-junta era, while noting that the Parliamentary investigation had not turned up evidence of wrongdoing by political figures.

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