Greek Leader Greets Merkel as Protests Rage in Streets
Niki Kitsantonis and Nicholas Kulish, International Herald Tribune/The New York Times, 09.10.2012
Quote
With thousands of police reinforcements on duty to shield her from rowdy protesters who see her as the archvillain of the euro crisis and their national pain, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany was greeted by the Greek prime minister as “a friend of Greece” and tried to reassure the Greek people that she was here not “as a teacher, to give grades” but rather as “a real partner.” […]
The implosion of Greece’s Socialist Party and the rise of parties on the extreme right and left there served to underline that point. “It’s the outcome of the June 17 elections, the perception that this is the best government you can get under the current circumstances,” said Janis A. Emmanouilidis, a senior analyst at the European Policy Center.
In recent months Ms. Merkel has come to recognize “the geostrategic importance, what would happen if the situation would deteriorate,” Mr. Emmanouilidis said, including a host of “potential domino effects” beyond just the financial realm but extending to European security, the common market and the entire project of European integration.
“Going there is the right thing to do, even if you have negative pictures from Athens,” Mr. Emmanouilidis. “You need to face it head on and not pretend it’s not as bad as it is.” […]
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