Syriza MEP Glezos says party is open to cooperation with Merkel
First entry: 21 January 2015 - 20:00 Athens, 18:00 GMT
Last update: 20:00 Athens, 18:00 GMTPolitics
Manolis Glezos, a Greek resistance hero and at 92, the oldest MEP, said on Wednesday his party is open to cooperation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, during a trip to Berlin to participate in an event organised for his party Syriza.
Asked by Deutsche Welle whether his party is showing more flexibility on how to deal with Greece's debt, the Syriza lawmaker said that Syriza does not use "political jargon" but its "main line hasn't changed".
"We're not going to depart from what we have promised the Greek people. They strangled the Greek people to save the financial sector....Concerning our lenders, we simply say, come if you want to discuss it," Glezos said.
Discussing Greek-German relations, the MEP said a Syriza government would be open to a cooperation with Germany, but Berlin would have to take the innitiative.
"If Merkel's government wants it, we can cooperate, if she doesn't we won't. We are willing to do it."
For Glezos, the issue of German reparations and the forced occupation loan is still open. "Germany has not signed a peace treaty. It has imposed on us a no-war treaty. Why has it done that? Because once it signs a peace treaty, because it is a country that follows rules, it will immediately pay what it owes," the MEP commented.
Told by DW that it's impossible to ask Germany to reopen this issue with some 50 countries that had declared war against it, Glezos replied it is actually possible for Merkel to push for a peace treaty between the two countries. "I believe the German people will convince her (Merkel) to change her stance."
Source: DW
Asked by Deutsche Welle whether his party is showing more flexibility on how to deal with Greece's debt, the Syriza lawmaker said that Syriza does not use "political jargon" but its "main line hasn't changed".
"We're not going to depart from what we have promised the Greek people. They strangled the Greek people to save the financial sector....Concerning our lenders, we simply say, come if you want to discuss it," Glezos said.
Discussing Greek-German relations, the MEP said a Syriza government would be open to a cooperation with Germany, but Berlin would have to take the innitiative.
"If Merkel's government wants it, we can cooperate, if she doesn't we won't. We are willing to do it."
For Glezos, the issue of German reparations and the forced occupation loan is still open. "Germany has not signed a peace treaty. It has imposed on us a no-war treaty. Why has it done that? Because once it signs a peace treaty, because it is a country that follows rules, it will immediately pay what it owes," the MEP commented.
Told by DW that it's impossible to ask Germany to reopen this issue with some 50 countries that had declared war against it, Glezos replied it is actually possible for Merkel to push for a peace treaty between the two countries. "I believe the German people will convince her (Merkel) to change her stance."
Source: DW
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