Greeks enraged over German financial criticism, demand more compensation for WW2

[Syt]

Greece angers Germany in gold row

Greek Deputy Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos has accused Germany of failing to compensate Greece for Nazi occupation during World War II.

Mr Pangalos made the remarks during a wide-ranging BBC interview about Greece's financial difficulties.

"They [the Nazis] took away the Greek gold that was in the Bank of Greece, they took away the Greek money and they never gave it back," he said.

Germany has rejected the allegations, describing them as "not helpful".

Germany has been one of the harshest critics of Greece since it announced that its budget deficit was four times the eurozone limits.

Icy response

Mr Pangalos told the BBC: "This is an issue that has to be faced sometime in the future.

"I don't say they have to give back the money necessarily, but they have to say thanks. And they [the German government] shouldn't complain much about stealing and not being very specific about economic dealings."

Mr Pangalos' comments elicited an icy response from German Foreign Ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke.

"I must reject these accusations," he said.

"A discussion about the past is not helpful at all to solve the problems facing us in Europe today."

In 1960, Germany paid Athens 115m German marks in compensation for the four year long occupation, in which 300,000 Greeks died.

Mr Peschke added: "I'd like to mention that parallel to this, since 1960 Germany has paid around 33bn Deutsche marks in aid to Greece both bilaterally and in the context of the EU."

Earlier this month, an article in Germany's Stern magazine outraged Greece.

The author accused Greeks of frittering away German taxpayers' savings.

Then another German magazine, Focus, further antagonised Athens with a front cover that depicted a statue of the Venus de Milo making an obscene gesture under the title "Greek cheats."

'Offensive' coverage

Following publication of the articles, the German ambassador to Athens, Wolfgang Schultheiss, was summoned to Parliament for a dressing down by the speaker, Filippos Petsalnikos.

The speaker described the German coverage as "offensive" and "surpassing all limits".

The Mayor of Athens, Nikitas Kaklamanis, has also waded into the dispute. "You [Germany] owe us 70bn euros for the ruins you left behind," he said.

The Greek Consumers' Federation has called on shoppers to boycott German goods.

A former foreign minister, Mr Pangalos has a reputation for using undiplomatic language.

His comments are the antithesis of the charm offensive mounted by the Prime Minister, George Papandreou, and his Finance Minister, George Papaconstantinou, in a bid to win European support for Greece.

But Mr Pangalos has his finger on the pulse of Greeks who blame the country's predicament on outside forces such as the financial markets and the European Union.

The title of Focus, "Frauds within the Euro-Family":

[The Brain]

The Persians should have won.

[DGuller]

Maybe they should ask Iran for war reparations as well.

[derspiess]

ENJOY YOUR EU.

[Josquius]

I hope the Greek people are facepalming and feeling embarassed here.

[Viking]

Basically the condition that Germany gave for joining the Euro was that everybody else kept germany's standards for economic sensibleness when it comes to government debt and inflation. Greece says yes, we'll accept that and we'll benefit from having a sensible currency and then greece spends as normal and lies about it.

If the Euro is going to have future stability then they need to screw over greece and kick them out of the Euro.

[Cerr]

Basically the condition that Germany gave for joining the Euro was that everybody else kept germany's standards for economic sensibleness when it comes to government debt and inflation. Greece says yes, we'll accept that and we'll benefit from having a sensible currency and then greece spends as normal and lies about it.

If the Euro is going to have future stability then they need to screw over greece and kick them out of the Euro.

To be fair, both Germany and France were in breach of the Stability and Growth pact.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stability_and_Growth_Pact#Member_states_by_SGP_criteria

[derspiess]

Basically the condition that Germany gave for joining the Euro was that everybody else kept germany's standards for economic sensibleness when it comes to government debt and inflation. Greece says yes, we'll accept that and we'll benefit from having a sensible currency and then greece spends as normal and lies about it.

If the Euro is going to have future stability then they need to screw over greece and kick them out of the Euro.

Wouldn't Greece have to have acted in good faith to be "screwed over" in the first place?  Sounds to me like kicking them out would be an appropriate measure.

[DisturbedPervert]

The Mayor of Athens, Nikitas Kaklamanis, has also waded into the dispute. "You [Germany] owe us 70bn euros for the ruins you left behind," he said.

You owe the real Greeks even more for the ruins they left behind

[Razgovory]

Can't stop looking at Vikings avatar.

[HVC]

They should never have been let in. Yuo know a country is in trouble when it makes italy look good.

[The Minsky Moment]

Germany does a poor Captain Renault impression.

Hard to take seriously anyone who expresses surprise and outrage in learning that Greek public financial accounts were less than 100% Grade A kosher.  This is far from news.  At the time of Greece's accession to the Euro, no one seriously thought that they actually were ready.  They were let in to help paint the map more Euro and on the assumption that their economy was sufficiently small and peripheral that their inclusion could do no real damage. 

the underlying problem here is that the Greek economy is fundamentally weak; forcing crushing austerity measures on the country is not going to fix that problem.

[Malthus]

Can't stop looking at Vikings avatar.

Looks at first glance like a woman perfoming oral sex on a spectacularly under-endowed man. 

[Grallon]

Looks at first glance like a woman perfoming oral sex on a spectacularly under-endowed man. 

And here's the masculine equivalent - great add campaign in France that.




G.

[Malthus]

Looks at first glance like a woman perfoming oral sex on a spectacularly under-endowed man. 

And here's the masculine equivalent - great add campaign in France that.




G.

What's it advertising?