Strauss-Kahn: Greece will make it

Greece will make it if it fully implemented an economic restructuring program and the European Union moves ahead with a comprehensive solution to the debt problem facing other Eurozone states, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, director general of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, ahead of a spring ministerial meeting of the IMF and the World Bank, Strauss-Kahn said: “As I have repeatedly said, I understand how painful it is for the Greek people, but I think Greece will make it. But to do this there is a program to be implemented. Greece will make it on the precondition that all aspects of the programme will be implemented as envisaged. I know it is difficult, but it must be done. The Greek government, which was very bold implementing several measures last year, should not lose its dynamism”.

He added that some of the measures do not perform as they were originally planned, such as the fact that rich people in Greece still were not paying taxes at levels they should be in any other European state and that’s a problem for tax contributions. He underlined the responsibility of the European Union saying that Europeans must do what they have pledged.

“We are still waiting for EU to implement a comprehensive plan and avoid piecemeal measures,” he noted.