Westerwelle to discuss debt crisis with Greece
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is scheduled to discuss Greece′s debt crisis when he visits the southern Mediterranean country Monday.
The German foreign minister has ensured his country′s full support as Athens battles to restore its public finances - but last week Germany said that it would not be helping to finance Greece′s deficit itself.
"We have confidence that the Greek government will display the required dynamism in addressing the structural weaknesses of the economy," Westerwelle told the Greek daily Kathimerini newspaper.
"Athens has the full support of Germany and all other European Union member states on the issue."
While in Athens, Westerwelle will hold talks with Greek President Carolos Papoulias, Prime Minister George Papandreou and Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou.
Athens is feeling the heat from the European Union for drastic action to restore its public finances after seeing its credit rating downgraded recently by all three major rating agencies.
Papandreou′s government, which was elected to power in October, has battled to regain credibility in financial markets after claiming that official statistics has been misrepresented by its conservative predecessors.
The Socialists have promised to cut the budget deficit to 8.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year, 5.6 per cent in 2011 and 2.8 per cent by 2012.
Greece′s public deficit for 2009 is tipped to reach 12.7 per cent of GDP - well above the strict 3-per-cent deficit rule for members of the eurozone, which Athens joined in January 2001, two years after the euro was launched.
In Davos to attend the World Economic Forum, Papandreou said he was determined to beat corruption, waste and mismanagement blamed for the debt crisis.
The Socialist government has said it will cut welfare spending, reform taxation, battle tax evasion and save on public sector wages.
In an effort to cut the rising deficit and shore up public finances, the government announced a freeze on public sector pay for those earning more than 2,000 euros (2,900 dollars) a month.
Greece′s tax and customs workers said they will go on strike February 4 and 5 while public sector union ADEDY said it would go ahead with a planned strike against the measures on February 10, arguing they served as to disadvantage the poor.