WSJ: “Samaras was warned to expect little clemency from the troika”

The Prime Minister Antonis Samaras had been warned last spring to not expect much clemency from the IMF, EU and ECB troika, according to a Wall Street Journal article that was published on Thursday.

According to the article, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel informed PM Samaras when she visited the Greek capital ahead of the European elections. During her visit in Athens, Mr. Samaras requested help with the Greek debt,

The WSJ reports that Ms. Merkel asked an interpreter to translate “debt relief«, and then told Mr. Samaras “it doesn’t sound as good in German”. The retort was interpreted as an early sign that Greece should expect little clemency from the German-led troika.