Greek opposition leaders appeal to PM to compromise
Opposition parties appealed to the government and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras over the weekend as fears of a possible Greek exit from the eurozone peaked.
In an article in Kathimerini’s Sunday edition, New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras repeated his proposal for a “broad national consensus,” noting that if SYRIZA was not interested, then ND was ready to engage in talks with other parties with the aim of securing Greece’s position in the euro. “The political forces which have a pro-European orientation cannot be negligent or hesitate,” Samaras wrote. The ND leader also accused SYRIZA of “gambling” and “defrauding” the Greek people.
The leader of centrist Potami, Stavros Theodorakis, struck a similar tone, repeating his call for a meeting of party leaders which he said could strengthen Tsipras’s hand in negotiations with the country’s creditors.
Fofi Gennimata, the newly elected leader of PASOK, called on Tsipras to “quickly reach an agreement that will secure the rights and interests of Greek citizens” but also said that creditors must show “solidarity and respect” for Greece.
Several MPs from opposition parties, chiefly ND, backed a “pro-Europe” rally in central Athens last Thursday and are expected to do the same tonight when another protest by Greeks who want the government to reach a deal with creditors and secure Greece’s position in the euro is to take place outside Parliament.
