Greek PM still seeks consensus, EU/IMF inspectors back
Wed May 25, 2011 6:49am EDT
* Greek PM continues to seek national consensus
* Conservative opposition rejects new austerity measures
* EU, ECB, IMF team returns, continues performance review
(Expands with PM quotes, inspectors visiting, background)
By George Georgiopoulos and Renee Maltezou
ATHENS, May 25 (Reuters) - Greece's prime minister called again for consensus at a meeting with the country's president on Wednesday, declining to comment on reports that his government is considering a referendum on more austerity measures. Athens wants to secure continued funding under a 110 billion euro ($155 billion) bailout agreed a year ago while paymasters at the European Union press for wider political support before they agree on further loans to plug a funding gap next year.
"
At this critical hour we need national consensus. I am open to all good ideas and realistic proposals," Prime Minister George Papandreou told reporters after meeting President Karolos Papoulias.
He said he was determined to keep
Greece in the euro zone, where the financing crisis sparked by Greek admissions in 2009 that its debt was much bigger than previously acknowledged has spread to engulf Ireland and Portugal and threaten some of the bloc's bigger economies.
Papandreou, whose socialists have a comfortable lead in parliament but are sliding in opinion polls, called on the political opposition to agree on the basics to emerge from a severe debt crisis but failed to get them on board.
The conservative New Democracy party, which last year voted against the EU/IMF bailout deal, claims austerity is choking the economy and impeding it from growing out of the debt mess.
Greek newspapers reported on Wednesday the government was considering a referendum on the additional austerity package to tackle the debt crisis after the political opposition disagreed on the way forward.
Asked on the issue by reporters after his meeting with Papoulias, Papandreou did not give a straight answer.
"We are absolutely determined to remain participants in the hard core of the European Union," he said.
On Monday, the government unveiled a series of privatisations, part of a goal to raise 50 billion euros by 2015 to pay down its debt mountain, starting with divestments in Hellenic Postbank (GPSr.AT), OTE Telecom (OTEr.AT) and the two biggest ports.
It said it was working with IMF/EU inspectors on finalising extra fiscal measures worth 6.4 billion euros as part of a mid-term plan aimed at continued funding and meeting deficit reduction targets.
The troika team of inspectors resumed its meetings with ministers before it concludes a fourth review of Greece's economic adjustment programme, which will determine whether Athens gets a fifth 12 billion euro tranche of bailout money.
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La Troika ha ripreso gli incontri di lavoro con i ministri, dopo averli interrotti la scorsa settimana.