Varoufakis at Schäuble: agreement, not to some? – Www.dw.de

Varoufakis at Schäuble: agreement, not to some? – Www.dw.de

 On the sidewalk in front of the Ministry of Finance on Thursday afternoon (02/05/2015) has joined a small group of protesters in the cold: A few of them pan red flags, others think hopefully a hand-painted banner high. “Solidarity knows no boundaries” is inscribed on it. The many journalists that are pending before the Ministry should take their message with the building. In Berlin, just “the next episode of Greek drama from” plays, says a television colleague who exercise their Fernsehaufsager in large, crowded press room. It refers to the meeting of the two finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble and Yanis Varoufakis.

 In other words: On one side sits the recently elected left and tie-less Greek, loosen the austerity of Brussels, actually even want to shake up pretty. On the other hand, there is the CDU politician who wants to hold in any case to the austerity measures and for a country speaks, has transferred the bulk of the Greek aid.

 The meeting takes place the day after the
 
 The European Central Bank decision instead, that might impede access of Greek banks in future European funding considerably. A meeting therefore, the aim is to document as many journalists that Schäuble’s spokesman photographers and cameramen repeatedly calling needs, but to finally make some space so that the joint press conference begins. As the Germans were just getting to grips with the Greeks, when they could not even control the journalists, says a journalist? General laughter begins.

2010 applied for Athens the utility – now threatened with bankruptcy

  Schäuble: “Reliability is a prerequisite for trust”

 Ultimately, however, it is also a meeting which, although it had been “long and hard” in the areas of disagreement, no progress, so Schäuble, who speaks first to the journalists. What a way out of the Greek crisis is concerned, “we agree to disagree” – that there was agreement not to agree. No, Varoufakis will later say that they had not agreed, not to agree. That has never been an issue. “We have only agreed to enter into negotiations”. In short there is no agreement

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 But first listen Varoufakis his German colleagues. Its mine remains unchanged friendly – even then emphasized as Schäuble that he did not have his skepticism can hide that “go some of the measures announced in our opinion, not necessarily in the right direction”. Agreements made so Schäuble overlooking the utilities and the associated austerity measures, should be respected. Reliability is the “requirement for trust”.

 Greece, Schäuble should, begin discussions with the so-called troika (International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank, EU), which monitors the austerity program again. After the change of government in Athens, the coalition had declared the cooperation with the Troika closed. It is undisputed, however, so Schäuble that the Greek government should cooperate with them: support programs for Greece will run until the end of February. Athens she wishes to suspend entirely – but first the required haircut is currently off the table

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  Greece calls bridging program to May

 Instead Greece calls for a bridging program until May to avert the impending bankruptcy. His government would like to be “the most precious of all resources: time,” said Varoufakis. Then Greece would work with its donors on a permanent solution: “We do everything in our power to avoid that there is a default,” says Varoufakis. But how exactly long-term solution could look like, what proposals will put Greece on the table, Varoufakis leaves: The government is not even sworn in, he ask for leniency.

 Instead, he paints a bleak picture of the threat of political radicalization in Greece: Never again should a Great Depression as the 1930s that promoted the rise of Adolf Hitler, along with other factors, “Share proud European nations.” In view of the right-wing party “Golden Dawn” need Greece Germany at his side, Varoufakis said urgently. “We need the German people to support us in the fight against homophobia.”

  “agreements must be respected”

 A request to which Schäuble not entering into the question and answer session. Instead, he speaks again of trust and promise: We need to, the CDU politician cool, even a little, make sure that arrangements have been made, would also observed

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