New York Times
May 18, 2012
A telephone conversation on Friday between Germany’s chancellor and Greece’s president became the latest flashpoint in the war of words between Berlin and Athens in the unfolding crisis over Greece’s membership in the euro.
All sides agree that Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by telephone with President Karolos Papoulias on Friday. A spokesman for the caretaker government, Dimitris Tsiodras, said Ms. Merkel “conveyed to the president thoughts regarding a referendum that could be conducted in parallel to the elections, asking Greeks whether they want to remain in the euro zone.”
A spokesman for Ms. Merkel’s government swiftly denied she had called for a referendum, but not before Greek politicians blasted the alleged proposal. The leftist leader Alexis Tsipras accused her of treating Greece like a “protectorate.” The Socialist Party stated that “referendums fall exclusively within the competencies of the government and the Greek Parliament, not the EU or other member states.”
The Greek conservative leader Antonis Samaras called it “unacceptable” for Germany’s chancellor to issue such a proposal.
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