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German Help For Greece Waning (28th May, 2012)
A German politician has warned Greece his country will not continue to pour money into Greece to keep it afloat. Germany has been the main contributor in providing funds to keep Greece's economy from collapsing. It has twice contributed to huge, multi-billion-dollar bailouts to help the Greek economy. Fears are widespread that Greece will go bankrupt, which could have severe consequences for the rest of the Eurozone and cause turmoil on world financial markets. Germany's Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich told reporters that he was happy for Germany to help Greece as long as it keeps its promises regarding austerity measures. He said: "We're not willing to pour money into a bottomless pit."
IMF chief Christine Lagarde was unsympathetic to Greece's situation when compared to suffering in the rest of the world. She angered many Greeks when she suggested they were a nation of tax evaders. She told reporters: "As far as Athens is concerned, I also think about all those people who are trying to escape tax all the time.…I think they should also help themselves collectively." She added: "I think more of the little kids from a school in a little village in Niger who get two hours of teaching a day….I have them in my mind all the time because I think they need even more help than the people in Athens." Greece's socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos accused Ms Lagarde of "insulting the Greek people".
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