Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-05-07
CONTENTS
[01] Papandreou critical of possible OTE deal
[01] Papandreou critical of possible OTE deal
In his first public appearance after a cycling accident roughly two
weeks ago, main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou on Wednesday
accused the government of having a policy on privatisations that did
not befit a member of the European Union.
During a speech to PASOK's Parliamentary group, Papandreou was
especially critical of the deal currently being negotiated between the
government and Deutsche Telekom (DT) for the management of the
state-run telephony utility Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation
(OTE).
"Greece is the only country in the European Union that has sallied
forth onto the global market and put everything on the block. This is a
policy that does not befit Greece, or any other country of the European
Union," he said in criticism of the OTE deal.
He stressed that the government was essentially handing OTE over to the
German state sector and spoke of a "breach of faith scandal against the
country" that had started when New Democracy passed laws abolishing
safeguards against a hostile takeover bid for OTE via the stock market,
such as the law requiring the state to retain 33 percent of OTE shares
and another blocking private shareholders from the rights to more than
5 percent of the company.
Replying to accusations that PASOK was "statist", meanwhile, he noted
that PASOK was no more statist than the Germans that were currently in
the process of buying out OTE's management, given that German company
was still subject to extensive state regulation.
He claimed that the deal would convert OTE into a "state-run German
vehicle for expansion in the Balkans" and that Greece would thus be
denying itself the same opportunity and giving it as a gift to the
German government.
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