German Chancellor Angela Merkel will tell Greeks she wants to keep their country in the euro when she visits Athens this week, but she faces a hostile reception from a people worn down by years of austerity and recession.
Many Greeks blame Merkel, who has publicly chastised them for much of the past three years, for the nation's plight. Opponents, some of whom have caricatured her as a bullying Nazi, have promised protests on Tuesday during her first visit to Greece since the euro zone crisis erupted there in 2009.
"She does not come to support Greece, which her policies have brought to the brink. She comes to save the corrupt, disgraced and servile political system," said Alexis Tsipras, who leads the opposition Syriza alliance. "We will give her the welcome she deserves."
About 6,000 policemen will be deployed in the capital for her 6-hour visit, turning the city center into a no-go zone for protest marches planned by labor unions and opposition parties.
"We don't want her here," said Yannis Georgiou, 72, who has seen his pension cut by one third. "We will take to the streets against austerity and against the government. Maybe Merkel will hear something and see what we're going through."
Merkel's visit is a sign of Germany's support for the coalition government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras as it struggles to agree new budget cuts with international lenders, overcome the objections of reluctant coalition partners and cope with rising public anger.
After toying with the idea of a Greek exit from the euro zone in the first half of 2012, Merkel has come full circle and decided the risks of the country leaving are too high, especially with a German election looming next year.
The trip is a sign of German solidarity, a message to the Greek leadership and people that Berlin does not want to cut them loose, and a signal to the members of Merkel's coalition who want Greece out that it's not going to happen soon.
At the same time, the trip shows Merkel's trust in Samaras. Aides to the chancellor say they have been positively surprised by his commitment to reform. One reason for not visiting Greece before was frustration with progress under his predecessors, technocrat Lucas Papademos and Socialist George Papandreou.
"In our view Samaras is really trying to get things done," one German official said, requesting anonymity. "Nobody should see this trip as a sign that all is perfect. But we recognize things are moving in the right direction."
The Greek government was ecstatic about the news, promising to treat Merkel with the honors befitting the leader of a great nation. Greek officials credited Samaras's charm offensive in Berlin in August for Germany's change of heart.
"Samaras showed a real will to change things. He stressed what Greece had to do, not what others had to do for Greece," a Greek government official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Merkel is scheduled to meet Samaras, President Karolos Papoulias and representatives of Greek industry.
In a measure of tension between Athens and Berlin earlier this year, Papoulias accused Merkel's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble of insulting the country by likening Greece to a bottomless pit.
BRACING FOR TROUBLE
Opposition parties, from the radical leftist Syriza to the right-wing Independent Greeks, have planned protests and police officials said they were bracing for violence.
For years, banner headlines and cartoons in the press have portrayed Germany as a bully and protesters burned Nazi effigies on the central Syntagma Square outside parliament.
The tone was more subdued in the newspapers on Sunday. To Proto Thema ran a "HEIL" headline but most others called on Merkel to take a hard look at the suffering of Greek people during her visit.
"Tell Merkel the truth," wrote Nikos Hatzinikolaou in Real News. "With unemployment at 25 percent and recession at 7 percent, for a fifth year, can lenders expect the country to survive and pay back its debts?"
The visit gives Merkel a chance to get a first-hand view of a country that could have a major influence on her own re-election hopes.
Greece is stuck in tough negotiations with inspectors from the "troika" of the International Monetary Fund, European Commission and European Central Bank over a fresh wave of 11.5 billion euros in cuts for the next two years, a condition for getting an installment of the 130 billion euro bailout which is keeping the country afloat.
As difficult as these talks are, lenders are now realizing Greece needs more time, money or both. The IMF wants official lenders such as Germany to take a "haircut" under which the value of the Greek debt they hold would be radically reduced. Private bondholders have already swallowed such a hit but EU partners prefer other measures than to suffer more losses.
In order to avoid going back to parliament to request a third rescue for Athens - a step Merkel allies acknowledge could be political suicide for her - Germany will probably have to agree to other concessions to plug a hole in Greece's finances.
These could include giving Samaras an extra two years to make painful cuts and agreeing to a reduction in the interest rates Athens pays on its EU loans.
Before making concessions that are sure to provoke a backlash at home, Merkel will want to look Samaras in the eye and make clear to him that she has done all she can - that it is now up to him. Politically, she will have next to no room to give the Greeks more before next year's German vote.
"She has to lay it on the line and make clear to the Greek government what the options are," Michael Fuchs, a senior lawmaker in Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) told Reuters. "Whether the conditions for additional help are met depends not on Germany, but on the Greek government alone."
相关中文资料
德国总理默克尔将於本周出访希腊,传达希望该国留在欧元区的意愿.但对饱受数年财政撙减与经济衰退之苦的希腊民众而言,默克尔此行恐怕是不受欢迎.
很多希腊人将目前自己国家所处的困境归咎於默克尔,反对者誓言将在周二默克尔到访时举行抗议示威活动.这将是默克尔自2009年爆发欧元区危机以来首次访问希腊.
"她不是来支持希腊的,她的政策已经把希腊推到了悬崖边上.她是来搭救这个腐败、可耻和卑躬屈膝的政治体系的."左翼激进联盟党领导人齐普拉斯(Alexis Tsipras)说道,"我们会让她得到她应得的待遇."
雅典将为默克尔六小时的访问部署约6,000人的警力,届时将禁止工会和反对党计划的抗议游xing进入雅典市中心.
"我们不希望她来,"养老金被削减了三分之一的72岁的Yannis Georgiou表示,"我们将走上街头抗议撙节举措,抗议政府.或许默克尔将能听到,并看到我们正在经历的."
默克尔出访是德国支持希腊总理萨马拉斯(Antonis Samaras)联合政府的一个信号.希腊正艰难地与国际贷款机构就新的预算削减达成共识,努力克服执政联盟夥伴的反对,并竭力应对公众日益升温的怒火.
在今年上半年考虑过希腊退出欧元区的想法後,默克尔最终认为希腊退出的风险太高,特别是在明年德国大选临近的情况下.
默克尔此次出访是展现德国团结一致的表现,旨在向希腊领导人和人民传达柏林不愿抛弃他们的信息,而且亦是在向希望希腊退出的默克尔执政联盟成员发出讯号,即这种情况不会很快发生.
同时,默克尔的出访亦展现了对萨马拉斯的信任.默克尔的助手称,萨马拉斯改革的决心一直令他们感到惊喜.之前没有访问希腊的一个原因是对萨马拉斯的前任--帕帕季莫斯和帕潘德里欧的改革进展感到失望.
"我们认为萨马拉斯确实在试图解决问题,"一位要求匿名的德国官员称,"没人认为这次访问表明一切都很完美.但我们认识到事情在朝正确的方向发展."
希腊政府对默克尔来访的消息感到万份欣喜,承诺将以大国礼遇招待默克尔.希腊官员将德国改变心意归功于萨马拉斯8月出访德国时的魅力攻势.
一位不愿具名的希腊政府官员告诉路透:"萨马拉斯展现了做出改变的真实意愿.他强调了希腊必须做什麽,而非其它人必须为希腊做什麽."
默克尔将与萨马拉斯、希腊总统Karolos Papoulias和希腊行业代表们会晤.
但是反对党都计划好举行抗议示威活动,希腊警方称已经做好了应对暴力冲突的准备.
周日各报纸的语调较为温和.Proto Thema刊登的是"HEIL(嗨)"的大标题,但多数其他报纸呼吁默克尔在出访期间认真关注希腊民众的遭遇.
"告诉默克尔真相,"Nikos Hatzinikolaou在Real News中写道,"失业率高达25%,经济衰退幅度为7%,衰退已进入第五个年头,金主还能指望希腊存活下去并偿还债务吗?"
此次出访给了默克尔近距离观察希腊的机会,可能会对她自身竞选连任的希望带来重大影响.
希腊正陷於与国际货币基金组织(IMF)、欧盟执委会和欧洲央行这三方金主的艰难协商之中,讨论未来两年希腊减支115亿欧元事宜.这是投放1,300亿欧元帮助希腊维持运转的一个条件.
由於这些谈判困难重重,贷款方眼下意识到希腊需要更多时间、更多资金,或者两者都要.IMF希望德国等官方贷款人大幅减记所持希腊债务.民间债权人已经忍受了此类损失,但欧盟夥伴则倾向於采取其他措施,而不是遭受更多损失.
为避免再向议会为希腊请求第三轮救助,德国可能将不得不同意作出其他让步以弥补希腊财政缺口.
措施可能包括再给予萨马拉斯两年的时间来进行痛苦的减支,并且同意削减希腊支付欧盟贷款的利率.
这些做法势必会在德国国内引发反弹,在作出这些让步前,默克尔将希望向萨马拉斯开诚布公,明确告诉他自己已竭尽全力,现在将取决於他.从政治上而言,她将几乎没有空间在明年的德国选举前为希腊付出更多.
"她必需直截了当,把选项明确告诉希腊政府,"基民党资深议员Michael Fuchs告诉路透,"额外援助的条件能否满足并不取决於德国,而纯粹要看希腊政府."
