ATHENS, Greece — An indignant Greece slammed EU and International Monetary Fund inspectors overseeing its efforts to reform its debt-crippled economy, accusing them Saturday of overstepping their role and interfering in Greece’s internal affairs.
In an unusually harshly worded predawn statement, government spokesman Giorgos Petalotis called the behavior of the inspectors at a Friday news conference unacceptable.
“We have needs, but we also have limits. And we do not negotiate the limits of our dignity with anyone,” Petalotis said. “We take orders only from the Greek people.”
It was the first time the government has publicly struck back at the IMF and the European Union, which rescued Greece from bankruptcy but at a price that many Greeks consider too harsh.
The IMF, the European Central Bank and the European Commission delegation said Greece must privatize €50 billion, or $68 billion, in state assets and speed up structural reforms in the next few months to keep the country’s troubled finances afloat.
The IMF representative also said some of the frequent demonstrations against the Greek government’s reforms were being carried out by groups angry at losing their “unfair advantages and privileges.”
The news conference led to quick outrage in sections of the Greek media, with one TV anchor describing the remarks as “unacceptable.” There was no government reaction until Petalotis’ statement was issued shortly before 2 a.m.
“We asked them to help, and we are fully honoring our commitments,” Petalotis said. “But we didn’t ask for anyone to intervene in our country’s internal affairs.”
He added that the government would make clear that “everyone must understand their role.”
Prime Minister George Papandreou expressed his dismay at the comments to IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn in a phone call Saturday, according to his office. The statement said Strauss-Kahn had called Papandreou and that the prime minister had conveyed his government’s message “regarding the unacceptable behavior” of the delegation.
The opposition conservative party, however, struck back at the Socialist government, saying it was “too late for false tears,” and that the government’s “post-midnight theatrical performance is a farce.”
Greece’s economy is under strict supervision as part of a €110 billion bailout loan package from the IMF and the other European Union countries that use the euro — funds that saved Greece from defaulting on its mountain of debt.
