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Papandreou Says Greece ’Not Poor,’ Can Overcome Debt Crisis

27 September 2011 12:41 (UTC +04:00)

â€ŽBaku - APA-Economics. Greece can overcome the debt crisis and bolster all Europe with the help of stronger leadership from policy makers, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said, Bloomberg reported.

Greece will live up to all its commitments and deserves â€œrespectâ€ for its efforts thus far, Papandreou said in a speech to a German industry federation event in Berlin today. He noted that from a â€œhugeâ€ primary budget deficit in 2009, Greece will probably see a primary surplus next year.

Greeks ask whether this is a Sisyphean task or whether the country can surmount the crisis, Papandreou said. â€œMy answer is yes we can,â€ he said. â€œGreece has the potential, Europe has the potential,â€ and can achieve it through global cooperation. â€œWe are not a poor country, weâ€™re a country that has been governed badly.â€

Papandreou is in Berlin for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel two days before German lawmakers vote on enhancements to the European rescue fund. Members of Merkelâ€™s coalition are threatening to oppose the changes amid voter anger over aiding Greece, while in Athens lawmakers are preparing to vote today on a property tax that is key to averting the countryâ€™s default.

The crisis â€œoffers a unique chance to bring in important reforms,â€ Papandreou said. While such â€œmajor changesâ€ will take many years, â€œwe are determined, the Greek people are determined to make this a success,â€ he said. â€œWhether I am re- elected or not is not my problem, my problem is to save the country.â€
â€˜Blaming Each Otherâ€™