US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton on Sunday, July 17th, expressed the American government’s strong support for the efforts of the Greek government to overcome the debt crisis, during a press conference following her meeting with Foreign Minister Stavros Lambrinidis. Their meeting was the first in a round of scheduled meetings between Clinton and Greece’s leaders during her visit to Athens.Clinton underlined that the government of Prime Minister George Papandreou has faced tough decisions but believes that the Greeks are very determined to overcome the crisis. Washington is always by Greece’s side, she stated. In particular, she said: “I applaud the Greek government on its willingness to take these difficult steps. Greece has inspired the world before, and I have every confidence that it is doing so again”.
Foreign Minister Stavros Lamprinidis said that there was no comparison between Greece of today and Greece of the past, and he emphasised the need for European solidarity and cooperation in order to overcome the crisis. “We believe that we shall come out of this difficulty victorious,” he said. “Many on both sides of the Atlantic have bet on the collapse of Greece and then have been proven wrong. We will continue to prove them wrong”, he added.
During the meeting between Lamprinidis and Clinton, they discussed the economic crisis and foreign policy issues, focusing mainly on the situation in Libya, the Middle East, the Western Balkans, the Cyprus issue and Greece’s relations with Turkey. Mr. Lamprinidis stated, ”progress was possible and had to be striven for, while noting that the necessary political will on Turkey’s part was an essential precondition for success.” After Clinton’s meeting with Lambrinidis, the US Secretary of State attended a working dinner with the prime minister at his office.
During her talks with Papandreou, they covered the economic crisis, foreign policy issues, the problems faced by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, energy issues and the ‘Arab Spring’, as well as Greece’s role in the surrounding region. They both agreed that a comprehensive and effective solution for the crisis in both Greece and in Europe, in order to send markets a clear message and to deal effectively with speculators, has to be found.
Then, a meeting followed between Clinton and President Karolos Papoulias. A meeting between Clinton and Greece’s main opposition New Democracy party leader Antonis Samaras is to take place today, Monday, July 18th.
Τhe Communist Party (KKE), in a statement, claimed: “US Secretary of State rewarded the (Greek) government’s violent policy and supported the imperialistic plans of both the ruling Pasok and main opposition New Democracy.” On its part, the Popular Orthodox Party (Laos) party said the “Greek government is reacting as the ”black sheep’ of Europe.”
Finally, the Radical Left Coalition (Syriza) expressed its opposition to the Clinton visit, stating that her aim was not to show support to Greece’s bad financial situation, but to ensure Greece’s greater involvement in US, Nato and Israeli war plans against Afghanistan, Libya and in the wider region.”
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