“In the June election the Greek voters will choose to either remain in the euro area or exit from it”, the British Prime Minister David Cameron said last week from the United States, where he was attending the G8 and the NATO summits.
At the same time he asked the Eurozone leaders to draft strong contingency plans for every possible outcome in Athens. He went on by stressing that “now is the time to send a strong message to Greeks that they have to either choose Eurozone and apply the needed economic austerity measures or vote differently and abandon the single money zone”.
The British PM's statement that turns the 17 June legislative elections in Greece into a referendum for the country position in or out of Eurozone, comes after similar comments by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who in a telephone conversation with the Greek President Karolos Papoulias is reported to have asked him to hold a referendum with this question, simultaneously with the election. Later on a representative of the the Berlin government commented that the Chancellor did not said exactly that to the Greek President. Merkel, however, is not the first German dignitary to have told the Greeks that in the next election they are about to answer an existential question, in reference to their country's position in the Eurozone. The German minister of Foreign Affairs Guido Westerwelle and his colleague of Finance, Wolfgang Schäuble, have on different occasions said exactly this, that the Greeks are now voting for their position in the Eurozone. Schäuble also clarified that they lie to Greeks those who tell them that it is possible to stay in the Eurozone without applying the needed austerity measures. Schäuble went on and observed that some people in Greece believe that they can avoid austerity because, “those in Brussels cannot do without Greece”.
He concluded that an exit of Greece from Eurozone can be avoided, but this country has to honour its obligations. In a different climate however vis-a-vis Greece was the new French minister of European Affairs, Bernard Cazeneuve. In no case he made any reference to Greece's exit from Eurozone. He stressed that, “we send a strong message of support to Greece ” and he added “we have to save Eurozone and Greece has to stay in it and we are working hard so that Greece has the backing it needs in its efforts”. It wasn't like that however with the newly appointed French Foreign Minister. Speaking in an interview on a French radio station the new Laurent Fabius noted that “we (in France) have to explain without arrogance to our Greek friends that if they want to remain in the euro – and I think that is what the majority wants – they cannot support parties that will make them abandon it.”
As for the Francois Hollande, the French President he refrained from 'advising' the Greeks how to vote in the next election but he confirmed that the country has to honour its obligations. It seems that the generalised 'advice' to Greeks on the referendum character of their next legislative election, was formulated duringin the G8 meeting in Camp David, hosted by the American President Barack Obama. While commenting on Greece Obama said that the country's position is within Eurozone. He avoided however to give advise but he asked for protection against a negative development in Greece. He said :"We've got to put in place firewalls that ensure countries outside of Greece aren't harmed just because markets are skittish and nervous...".
There is no doubt that the entire world prefers Greece to stay in the euro area and they draw the attention of voters in this country to think twice before casting their ballots.
Comments