October 10, 2012

Merkel offers support in Greece, sparks protest

The Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece - German Chancellor Angela Merkel got a hostile reception Tuesday from many ordinary Greeks when she flew into Athens on her first visit to the country since its debt crisis erupted three years ago.

click image to enlarge

A demonstrator is arrested Tuesday in Athens, one of 200 detained in protests during Angela Merkel’s visit.

The Associated Press

But she praised the current Greek government for covering "much of the ground" required for recovery.

"I hope and wish that Greece remains a member of the eurozone," Merkel said. "As partners, we are working hard to achieve that."

Her visit triggered protests by some 50,000 demonstrators in Athens. The rallies were mostly peaceful, but police briefly clashed with several dozen protesters and detained nearly 200 people throughout the day.

As Europe's largest contributor to the bailout fund that has rescued Greece from bankruptcy, Germany is viewed by many Greeks as the primary enforcer of the austerity measures that the Greek government enacted in exchange for emergency aid.

Merkel, who stopped in Athens for five hours, said the coalition government led by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras still had to push through more key cost-cutting reforms.

"Much of the ground has been covered. ... There is daily progress," Merkel said after talks with Samaras.

Although the German leader dampened expectations in Athens of a stronger message of public support for Greece, Samaras said Merkel's visit had ended "the country's international isolation."

 

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