Troika rejects gov’t plan to liquidate defense industry; party reactions

Speaking to reporters, Gennimata said she has contacted Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, vice-president Evangelos Venizelos and National Defense Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, while the issue was discussed earlier in the day during a meeting between representatives from the Finance and Defense ministries and the prime minister’s aides.

Gennimata said she asked for an intervention at the highest possible level while the prime minister’s office

The Greek government’s proposal was to liquidate the three industries while remaining operational, separating factory units into military and civilian and offering voluntary retirement incentives to workers.

The troika offered its assessment, rejecting the Greek plan through an e-mail sent to Finance ministry late on Monday.

Party reactions

Main opposition Radical Left Colition (SYRIZA) deputies and defence committee members Thodoris Dritsas, George Varemenos, Agni Kalogeri and Vassilis Hatzilambrou issued a joint statement regarding reports that the troika is demanding the immediate closure of the country’s defence industry.

“The Samaras-Venizelos government and all the previous ones bear the full, the absolute responsibility for the annihilation of the defence industry,” the SYRIZA statement said. “Implementing the mandates of creditors and usurers, they participated, planned and implemented the present development, applying in full the commitment they voted for in the medium-term fiscal programme in 2011 on the sellout of the Hellenic Defence Systems (EAS) as a prior action for the continued lending to our country, extending it to the remaining groups of the defence industry as well.”

It added, “The Samaras-Venizelos government is dangerous for the people and the country. It is dangerous for the country’s national defence. Hands off the Greek defence industry! Employees at the EAS, at Hellenic Vehicles Industry (ELVO), the employees of all sectors that they have declared war on to close, once and for all, the door to this dangerous government.”

The Democratic Left party (DIMAR) said in an announcement that the restructuring of the defence enterprises EAS, ELVO, Hellenic Aerospace Industry (EAV) and Larco must take place while they are operating and by shutting down. It added that “the troika, for as long as it is not being faced with strong negotiating, will put forward new illogical demands and across-the-board layoffs, the abolition of specialities and closure of enterprises of the wider public sector”.

“DIMAR proposes this path be stopped, since the defence industry constituting a crucial industry for the country must be taken into consideration,” it added.

Independent Greeks party leader Panos Kammenos said about the issue that “the coalition government, with a mandate by the troika, while delivering public property and confiscating private property, has decided to abolish the ammunition of national defence. For shame”.

In another development, the European Commission, according to a spokesman to European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn, is waiting for the adoption of final decisions regarding the restructuring, including a considerable decrease, in light of the privatisation or the liquidation of ELVO, EAS and Larco.

Source: AMNA