While all sides may claim that technically there aren’t any ultimatums, it is clear that something has got tot give. In the Berlin meeting, the European and IMF side appears to have decided upon the outline of their own agreement and their limits. It remains to be seen if the Greek side is in the position to accept the framework of the terms they set, whether it can manage these terms politically.
Everything suggests that any mutual compromise that is reached will have painful parts. Both for the people who will be called again to undertake the burden of the agreements and the government, since the distance from its election campaign pledges will be immense. However there is no more room for further delays in this tug-of-war. With the State treasury empty and the economy suffering from the uncertainty and lack of liquidity, any delay may have catastrophic consequences for the country.
Polemic statements and clashes over who made the greatest concessions are pointless and meaningless. The agreement must be reached as soon as possible, with the country’s greater interest in mind, rather than the inevitable political cost. The political interventions and negotiations seem to have completed their cycle. It is time to bridge any gaps at the Brussels Group or the Euro Working Group in the next few days.
Neither society nor the economy can endure an impasse with unpredictable and painful, primarily, consequences. The Prime Minister who has the overall responsibility of negotiations is obliged to decide and give the signal to conclude the agreement, without any further delays. The decision is not easy, but it is necessary. After all, the value of leader is not determined by the election campaigns, but rather when they are called upon to take difficult, yet decisive choices for the future of their country.
TO VIMA
