Nov. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Antonis Samaras, head of Greece’s New Democracy party, was told by the president of the European Commission to quit playing “political games” and drop his refusal to pledge written support for Greek budget cuts as a condition for the next installment of international aid.
“For the European Union and IMF to support, they need to be sure that this is for a sustainable effort,” commission President Jose Barroso said yesterday in a joint press conference with Greek Premier Lucas Papademos. “What we have to do now is to concentrate on implementation -- less politics and more commitment. It’s not just a sprint; it’s a marathon.”
The comment underscores mounting pressure on Samaras, whose party is a member of Greece’s unity government and who has balked at the demand for a written endorsement of budget cuts. He says he has told officials from the EU, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank that he has already taken five actions that show his full commitment to the austerity program, state-run Athens News Agency said on Nov. 19.
Greece needs a sixth disbursement of loans under last year’s 110 billion-euro ($148 billion) rescue and a planned second package of 130 billion euros to avoid economic collapse. The euro area and IMF, which are funding the two packages including the next payment of 8 billion euros, want Greece’s main political leaders including Samaras to commit to spending cuts beyond the life of the Papademos-led unity government.
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