Guardian
December 6, 2010
Like some visiting potentate, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, will be given a red carpet welcome when he visits Greece tomorrow but the pomp and circumstance will not be able to hide lingering fears over the debt-choked country's economic future.
Nearly a year after Athens emerged on the frontline of Europe's worst-ever fiscal crisis, George Papandreou, the prime minister, faces one of the biggest tests of his political leadership as he uses the visit to negotiate an extension of the repayment period Greece has been given for the €110bn (£95bn) EU and IMF-sponsored rescue package it received in May.
Giorgos Papaconstantinou, the finance minister, said ahead of the long-awaited talks: "The decision to extend the loan is very important. It opens the way to a return to the markets earlier than expected."
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