ND: We will go to the meeting to hear what he has to say

Initial reactions by ND are moderate, following the initiative of PM Giorgos Papandreou, who called Antonis Samaras to a meeting. 

Samaras responded positively to the PM's request and the appointment was made for Tuesday morning at 10, before his scheduled departure for Thessaloniki. The two leaders did not speak directly, and the meeting was arranged through their respective offices. 

The positive response to the Prime Minister comes after the rejection of the motion by the Minister of Finance Giorgos Papaconstantinou, who requested a debate on the economy issues. First, the team at Singrou Avenue says the meeting is for Papandreou to inform them on developments in the economy in view of the summit in March and add: «We will go to see what he has to say». They also state that at the moment there is no consensus or support on the part of ND and that they remain firm on their known positions and criticism of the government so far as to the political impasse it has created. They say that they’re processing the updated program for the economy to be presented by the president of the party in late March, which will provide answers to questions that have arisen. 

Things don’t change… 

ND circles, however, noted that the initiative of Prime Minister shows lack of backing towards the Finance Minister, adding that this does not change things because economic policy is the responsibility of the government and not individuals. Party members say that it would be interesting if the government indicated that it intends to change the mix of economic policies, adopt the positions expressed by the ND and make development its top priority. The initiative by Papandreou found Samaras in Helsinki, where he’s right now, attending the Summit of the European People's Party. 

On Friday, Samaras will meet the winner of the Irish elections, with whom they share common ground in relation to the need to renegotiate their respective memoranda signed by their countries. Samaras has rejected the German proposal for constitutional recognition of a strict fiscal policy and has agreed on the need for eliminating the deficits. 

The ND president is in favour of the proposal of European Commission President Barroso, which includes the development dimension. His staff say "if we continue with the economic collapse, nothing will save us". Papandreou's proposal sparked scenarios of political developments, especially if there is no consensus. Already there is talk of a «blame game» about the lack of consensus and the possibility of early elections, which in fact is on the political agenda now . But ND, however, made it clear that they do not intend to deviate from the line they have walked on so far, or succumb to any form of blackmail. 

No from the Left to a consensus 

It is clear that the two parties of the Left will not consent. A clear 'no' to the consensus is expected by the general secretary of KKE, Aleka Papariga. In a statement made on Thursday, she said that "the Communist Party is fighting government policy" and argued that "this policy is a given and will not be changed through dialogue". 

President of Synaspismos Alexis Tsipras is expected to seek a referendum on the approval of the Competitiveness Pact proposed by Germany to be discussed at the EU Summit. Tsipras will also ask the Prime Minister to carry out a pre-agenda discussion on the economy before March 25, and will submit the proposals of the European Left party to overcome the economic crisis.