Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 14-05-09

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Greece will soon return to its pre-crisis level, PM Samaras tells deputies

[01] Greece will soon return to its pre-crisis level, PM Samaras tells deputies

"What will they, in SYRIZA, do without barbarians?" he wondered and added: "they will disappear when the crisis is over. They emerged by denouncing the memoranda, they are being fuelled by the crisis and they consider growth an enemy. That is why they are trying to bring the crisis back. They are nostalgic for the days when hood-wearing individuals burnt cities, when universities were a place of lawlessness, when migrants entered the country undisturbed. We are turning the page and they want Greece to return to the past and to chaos. SYRIZA does not want Greece to become a normal country, that is why it wants new memoranda, but there will be no new memoranda, there will be no new measures. It is trying to destabilise the country. It is a synonym of instability, this is its main goal but it will not get it its way."

The premier said that in "the Medium-term programme that was submitted, growth is expected for the first time after six years while it is estimated that unemployment will have fallen by 10 percentage points by 2018. In 2020, we will have recovered to a pre-crisis level and on a sound basis, without pathogenies. We just need to stay on the course we have paved and this will be decided in the upcoming elections. We are at a crucial moment, we are exiting an ailing past. SYRIZA forces are waging a last-ditch battle to take us back to the crisis. We are asking the Greek people to give our party the power to overcome the last resistances from the nostalgics of decay and take a step towards tomorrow. The New Democracy party sets the country on a course of development, with competitiveness and credibility, beyond our borders. We are asking the Greek people to give us the power to move to a New Greece."

Samaras said that Greece is at a crucial point, as it overcame hard times with many sacrifices and is close to achievements that some, until recently, considered inconceivable.

The primary surpluses, the social dividend, the end of the recession, the recovery that is nearing, are questioned by the nay-sayers, "those who consider the country's success an enemy," the prime minister said.

"The hard times have passed; now the only way is upwards," Samaras said.

"Greek people have suffered a lot, but the country did not end up like Argentina, as some wished. I am confident that in a few years we will have reached our pre-crisis level. Some claim than only the numbers are thriving. True, numbers are now thriving, but they were not thriving two years ago. If numbers plummet it is an omen that people will soon suffer. Now the economy has stabilised and we will soon have growth, more job positions and more income. Such a number of reforms has never [before] been implemented, such a number of inflexibilities [never before] restored. Now that the country is changing, some are fighting hard so that it returns to the crisis and to the memoranda. That is why they were so upset with Greece's exit to the markets," the premier said.

Now the discussion on the debt's sustainability is starting and it will be concluded in autumn. We are leading the country out of the memorandum. Mistakes and injustices have been made; we will redress them. Greece has turned a page in two years, but those nostalgic for debt say they will annul the memoranda we left behind," he said.

He concluded by thanking his deputies that withstood pressure during the last two years and underlined that the New Democracy is a pillar of stability, which guarantees the country's course.

He predicted that "SYRIZA, in its despair, will seek polarisation and try to cause division," and asked his deputies to give the proper response. "They have the nerve to speak of a dialogue when they won't even show up at European fora. What will they say? That Europe is an imperialistic power? What kind of allies will they find?" Samaras wondered.

Samaras also referred to the constitutional review and said that the national development plan will be presented the coming week. "There has never been a comprehensive plan for the regeneration of the country as a state and growth-wise," he noted.

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