PM: Gov't not distracted by criticism

    Athens (ANA-MPA) - Prime minister George Papandreou said his government's attention on its targets was not distracted by the criticism his government was facing or the preparations for the founding of new political parties, in the second part of an interview with Eleftherotypia daily appearing on Monday.

    The first part of the interview was published in the newspaper's Sunday edition.

    He said he considered it an unprecedented feat for a parliamentary group to shoulder such immense responsibilities and to decide on such difficult matters, and also to ignore the temporary benefit and look instead to the collective interest, far removed from petty party expediencies.

    Papandreou sharply criticised main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Antonis Samaras, noting that the Memorandum signed with the EU and IMF was that of the policy followed by the preceding ND government.

    The wager, the premier stressed, is for Greece to turn page, "and I don't see ND willing to help".

    He also criticised ND former prime minister Costas Karamanlis of indifference to the international image of the country and the economy during his five years in office.

    The premier charged that those who conduct "easy criticism" on television programs and "salons" have not realised what Greece has gone through and how difficult its position is.

    On the other hand, "I considered it my patriotic duty to save the country and not to accept default without a fight", Papandreou said in reply to criticism from the Left that he is a "prime minister of limited liability".

    Papandreou further criticised the Communist Party of Greece's (KKE) positions as being counter to the interests of the working people, the Greek society and the country itself.

    "Those who wish to be called Leftists must reject dogmatism and maintain a position of responsibility," he added.

    Reiterating that his predecessor in office, Karamanlis, never presented a clear picture of the reality, and charged that even two days before the last general elections the government had issued an official document that the deficit was only 6 percentage points of GDP instead of the actual 14 percent, which "he knew very well".

    On the formation of new political parties, Papandreou opined that it was only natural at a time when the country was going through such a big crisis, and particularly when the positions of the existing parties were not clear-cut or responsible and were "fishing in muddy waters".

   

   

   

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