Euro leaders press for 'consensus'
                                                                              
    
      
                              BRUSSELS (ANA-MPA) -- Main opposition New Democracy leader Antonis  Samaras arrived here on Wednesday for a series of high-level meetings  with European officials, including European People's Party (EPP)  President Wilfried Martens and European Commission President Jose Manuel  Barroso.
    After the meeting with Martens earlier in the day, Samaras attended a  working dinner with Martens and European Council President Herman Van  Rompuy, where he was accompanied by ND vice-president Stavros Dimas,  formerly Greece's European Commissioner. 
    During a meeting with Barroso, the later called on Samaras to support a  new round of austerity and reform measures demanded by the EC-ECB-IMF  "troika" in order to continue financial support for Greece, requesting  that he show a commitment to reach a broad national consensus.
    In a statement issued after meeting the New Democracy party leader in  Brussels, Barroso said that he urged Samaras to reach such a consensus  so that Greece might be able to face its present historical challenges  and address the situation of its public finances in the most determined  and effective manner.
    Referring to the results of a recent EC-ECB-IMF mission in Greece to  review and discuss the implementation of the adjustment programme,  Barroso stressed that the Commission strongly believed that broad  political and societal support of the reforms was critically important  for restoring confidence in the future of the Greek economy.
    Meanwhile, in a written statement issued shortly after meeting with  Samaras, Van Rompuy stressed the need to give "broad and constructive  political support" to resolve Greece's fiscal and economic problems,  urging New Democracy's leader to "be cooperative".
    Van Rompuy emphasised that Greece had to "continue with determination  with its adjustment efforts" in order to restore the viability of its  public finances and the country's competitiveness in order to ensure  fiscal stability.
    Noting that the last year had seen significant progress, the European  Council president stressed that more needed to be done to ensure a  sustainable recovery, with greater efforts in terms of both revenues and  spending. He also noted that the Eurozone's willingness to continue to  support Greece depended on an ambitious adjustment process as suggested  by the troika mission.
    "Efforts to put Greece back on track to a sustainable and credible  fiscal path and to economic recovery require all parties to provide  broad and constructive political support. I have urged Mr. Samaras to be  cooperative in this respect," Van Rompuy said. (ANA-MPA)