Clinton spoke at a press event with Greek Foreign Minister Stavros Lambrinidis, newly installed after the recent Greek Cabinet shakeup.
Speaking through an interpreter, he said that while many on both sides of the Atlantic have “bet on the collapse of Greece” the Papandreou government will prove them wrong.
“Despite the doomsayers, we are proceeding and we shall come out of this victorious. Of course we have no magic solutions. But there is no question the sacrifices that the Greek people have made have not only done away with the very real past risk of default, but will create a sound basis for recovery.”
The Greek foreign minister said his country needs not only U.S. but European solidarity, a message he said was lost on some E.U. member states in recent months.
A senior U.S. official said while not diminishing the severity of Greece’s problems, that country represents only about three percent of the E.U. economy, and the Greek problem is not of a magnitude the European Union cannot deal with.
Clinton’s talks here also focused on the Middle East political turmoil, Balkan stability, Greek-Turkish relations, and Cyprus.
Clinton said Saturday the United States would like to see a Cyprus settlement before the island state is to assume the E.U. presidency for the first time next year.
The Greek foreign minister said he thinks progress is possible, but that it mainly requires political will on the part of the Turkish government.
最新
2013-11-27
2013-11-27
2013-11-27
2013-11-27
2013-11-27
2013-11-27