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    February 12, 2012

Greek Parliament to Vote on Austerity Measures

   VOA News
   Protesters carry a banner which reads in Greek '' uprising '' during a
   protest in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Greece, February 11,
   2012.
   Photo: AP
   Protesters carry a banner which reads in Greek '' uprising '' during a
   protest against austerity measures in the northern port city of
   Thessaloniki, Greece, February 11, 2012.

   Greece's parliament is to vote Sunday on draft austerity measures
   demanded by the European Union in exchange for a new bailout loan.
   The Greek Cabinet approved a draft of the austerity bill late Friday.
   If passed, it will authorize Prime Minister Lucas Papademos to agree to
   additional cuts required to secure a $172-billion bailout loan and head
   off bankruptcy.
   Greek leaders are issuing new pleas - and warnings - ahead of Sunday's
   crucial vote.
   In a televised address on Saturday, Prime Minister Papademos defended
   the thousands of job cuts, a drop in the minimum wage and other
   austerity measures that would earn the country the second bailout loan.
   Socialist (Pasok) party leader George Papandreou and New Democracy
   Party leader Antonis Samaras echoed the prime minister and urged
   lawmakers to back the latest round of budget cuts, saying there is no
   other viable choice.
   Papandreou warned any failure to pass the austerity measures would lead
   to the country's doom.
   "We are talking about chaos, my dear colleagues. We are talking about
   the most dangerous and most painful consequences for the country and
   specifically for those that don't have any money," said Papandreou.
   "For the unemployed. For the middle and lower income classes.''
   Samaras warned his party's members campaign-style politicking will not
   be tolerated.
   "I know that very well around you there are some ambitious politicians
   who are trying to impress with anti-bailout agreement -- rhetoric.
   Whoever does this should know that with this irresponsible attempt to
   act like they are more Catholic than the pope, they won't succeed in
   even being candidates (in the next election)," said Papandreou.
   Greece must pay back $19 billion in debts next month. Mr. Papademos
   told his Cabinet Friday that Greece will descend into "a disastrous
   adventure" if it is not able to repay its creditors.
   Despite the dire warnings, thousands of Greeks have taken to the
   streets, at times clashing with police, to protest the budget cuts.
   Several thousand protesters gathered outside the parliament building
   Saturday, calling on lawmakers to reject the EU's demands.
   One of them gave her name only as Maria.
   "We have come here because all this must stop. I think we can stop them
   (the politicians), we can overthrow them, so the bill won't pass," she
   said. "We don't want their loans or their money or their debt. We can't
   afford it. The people understand this. They're angry, so the
   politicians should be afraid."
   Another demonstrator accused the EU and the International Monetary Fund
   of trying to impoverish Greece on purpose.
   "They (the European Union and the International Monetary Fund) want to
   reduce our labor costs to the level of a third-world country, so they
   can buy everything cheaply."
   Protesters also turned out in the thousands in the Greek city of
   Thessaloniki. Transportation ground to a halt in Athens and around the
   country, as workers continued their strike for a second day.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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