Greece facing Greek Army Reservist Union calls for Government to step down - emergency meeting held ? Deposits continue to flee Cyprus and Greece ..... Troika set to demand further austerity as next bailouts loom !

Looming Government Crisis Or Set Up ?  http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/greece-exclusive-murder-of-leftist-pavlos-fyssas-was-a-set-up-sources/ GREECE EXCLUSIVE: Murder of Leftist Pavlos Fyssas ‘was a set-up’ – sources. ‘ORCHESTRATED’ RIGHTIST COUP WARNING SEEN AS FAKE  Murderer’s motives in question Samaras Coalition quick to benefit from murder Despite the non-coverage in Western media of the current post political-murder crisis in Greece, readers of this site should be in no doubt about the seriousness of the situation. A growing suspicion here is that the Samaras Government (and/or its security force allies) may have stage-managed the killing for political gain. I reported earlier in the week having witnessed a Syriza/KKE anti-Golden Dawn demonstration in the Messinian capital of Kalamata last weekend. I opined at that time how I felt the Greek Left had become distracted from its real task, following the murder of one of its activists by a high-profile Golden Dawn supporter. It now looks likely that this was at least part of the intention behind the murder. On September 18th, nine days ago, 45 year old Giorgos Roupakias (left) stabbed 34 year old Leftist hip-hop singer Pavlos Fyssas to death. The incident took place in front of dozens of witnesses outside a cafe near to the town centre square of Piraeus suburb Keratsini. Roupakias (a) made no attempt to hide his identity (b) left his weapon at the scene covered in fingerprints, and (c) made no serious attempt to escape. Far from benefiting in any way, Golden Dawn is embarrassed by the killing. Police have established that Roupakias made several attempts to phone prominent GD members, and was largely rebuffed. Shortly afterwards, an article was posted on the Internet purporting to come from reservist Special Forces. It called for the overthrow of the Greek constitution, and the immediate resignation of the government. And it made a plea for a partnership between Greek patriots and the army. As it appeared to suggest a joint op between the army and Golden Dawn, the post turned up the political heat. The Samaras government has acted quickly since to establish two things with the mainstream Greek voter: first, that it and it alone is the only way for ‘law-abiding’ Greeks to be saved from a civil war between an on-the-march Hard Left on the one hand, and Far Right/Army coup plotters on the other. Second, the ruling Coalition made a big deal about calling a meeting late Thursday night at the Supreme Court, attended by the Chief Prosecutor, to ascertain “whether a right wing coup might be imminent”. Ministerial statements have had a consistent ‘Party line’ air to them, again adding to the suspicion that dirty tricks might be in play. “I am shaken by the event,” said Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias. He said the killing and recent violent incidents involving the party, along with name-calling in Parliament, “shows in the clearest possible way the intentions of the neo-Nazi creation.” And government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou added with equal pompousity, “We call on all political forces to raise a barrier to the vicious cycle of tension and violence. Democracy needs stability, cohesion and responsibility from all.” In turn – and somewhat suspiciously in concert – Giorgos Roupakias has been extremely voluble in police custody on the subject of the phone calls he made immediately before the murder. Roupakias spoke on his mobile phone to Giorgos Patelis, general secretary of Golden Dawn’s offices in Nikaia, Piraeus. According to his testimony, the suspect also spoke to Giorgos D, a retired officer from the Armed Forces who frequented the same offices and Antonis Ts, who appears to be a friend of Roupakias’ son, and Theofanis Sv. The latters’ involvement in the case is still to be investigated. Roupakias rang Patelis immediately after the killing, but Patelis ignored the call. This too has been used by Samaras-controlled police cadres to launch a series of raids on Golden Dawn offices. Golden Dawn MP Costas Barbarousis was arrested by police in Agrinio, following a search carried out at the local Golden Dawn offices during which the police ‘found’ a police cap, a helmet with two leg braces from a police platoon and 17 hunting cartridges which allegedly belong to the GD MP’s bodyguard. The police also confiscated 30 shields, two motorcycle helmets, 15 torches, 11 poles with flags, three wooden rods and an ax. Why informed observers in Greece believe the murder is a ‘Reichstag Fire’ 1. Sources insist that the Samaras government had polling information suggesting Golden Dawn was neck and neck with New Democracy in the Athens region, and that GD candidate Elias Kasidiaris was away ahead of the others for the imminent Athens Mayoral elections. 2. The revival in Syriza’s fortunes alongside this news spooked the ruling Coalition into believing that Leftist gains in any General election alongside a Golden Dawn hegemony in Athens would make Samaras’s position untenable. It would also, of course, present the EC and its Berlin friends with an enormous problem….a factor I and many others regard as highly significant. 3. The Coalition/security forces tactic is to harass Golden Dawn, tipping it over the edge into a long-threatened withdrawal from Parliament. Under Greek electoral law, this would mean new elections in the 75% of Greece where they had members. In the immediate aftermath of the Fyssas killing, they would undoubtedly suffer huge losses….while at the same time, the Samaras Government could discredit Syriza and KKE because of its ‘violent’ demonstrations. The result would almost certainly be a stronger post-election position for the Coalition. In the early hours of this morning, the Left demos were being stepped up, and Golden Dawn was once more threatening to quit the Assembly. In doing so, they may well be falling into a trap. And a fairly clumsily laid trap at that. Here are just a few things that don’t make sense: * If you were planning a Rightist coup, would you kick it off with a senseless murder, and put a post up on the Internet advertising its inevitability? * The killer has been labelled ‘Golden Dawn’ by both Government and media, but it is far from certain he actually is a Party member. Allegations that police found his Party card in the garbage outside his house appear now to be false. Further, while in police custody, he’s gone out of his way to suggest close links to the Party leadership. He made no attempt to escape a conviction for the killing. The death penalty has been abolished in Greece. With the right backers in high places, how much time would he serve? * Neither Golden Dawn nor Syriza is set to gain electorally from the murder: GD is losing support already, and GD deserters simply do not vote Syriza. The only winner from this farrago will be Samaras. *Before the murder, Samaras was already distancing himself from future deals with Golden Dawn. The killing has enabled him to remove the Party as a threat, make him look more respectable via his statements about them being “the heirs of the Nazis”, and distract the Left into a series of set-piece confrontations with riot police. * The high profile summoning of the Supreme Court amid wild talk about army coups (and on the basis of one dubious internet posting) smacks of opportunism at best, and a pre-ordained plan at worst. Golden Dawn continues to fiercely deny any involvement in Fyssas’s death. A spokesman, Ilias Kasidiaris, announced that the Party had already started launching lawsuits against those who made such claims. This is not GD’s normal response to accusations of violence: it is usually quite happy to have such an aura around itself. Speaking on Skai radio on Wednesday, Keratsini Mayor Loukas Tzannis said the victim had been involved in a heated discussion at the cafeteria, and on his way out of the cafe was ambushed by “a group of 15″ who “according to witnesses” were members of the extreme-right Golden Dawn. Although himself an Independent, Tzannis supports the Government Coalition: funny how he knew exactly how many were in the mob. One thing is for certain: Golden Dawn needed this incident like a hole in the head; whereas for Antonis Samaras, it has offered a much-needed lifeline. Coming as it did after various fantasy statements from the Prime Minister about recovery, a surge of support for GD (and a widespread strike on Wednesday by the Left) the murder of Pavlos Fyssas, the entire episode looks very convenient. Stay tuned on this one. My water tells me it will develop further. GOLDEN DAWN ALSO THREATENS GOVERNMENT WITH NEW ELECTIONS.... Can Golden Dawn enforce early elections with mass resignation of its 18 MPs? Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Politics There is a scenario circulating in Greece since Wednesday: that extreme-right Golden Dawn will answer with the mass resignation of its 18 lawmakers the government attempt to crack it down as “criminal organization”. Golden Dawn allegedly believes, it would come stronger out of  new elections despite the efforts to bring it down – or exactly because of this. GD allegedly believes that it would find even more supporters because of the ‘hunting against it’ and possibly believing that the party had more supporters than in the June 2012 elections due to its “Greek Only” charity work (food distribution, blood donations, finding jobs to unemployed etc.) Whether this scenario is true or not, I cannot tell. So far there has been no official statement by Golden Dawn on the issue. However, the Greek government took position on the matter with deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos dismissing Golden Dawn aspirations as “unrealistic”. “Greece’s far-right Golden Dawn party would damage itself if it tries to force elections by walking out of parliament in a pique over a government crackdown,” Venizelos told Greek media  the country’s deputy prime minister said on Wednesday. “This is a kind of political suicide for them,” Venizelos predicted in an interview with the top editors at Reuters in New York. “It’s not a threat. It’s a great opportunity.” The party did not confirm any plans for a walkout on its website and did not immediately respond to calls from Reuters. Golden Dawn entered parliament for the first time last year, capitalizing on discontent over a financial crisis that has seen incomes plummet and unemployment rise to nearly 28 percent. A fringe party until recently, it has become Greece’s third most popular political force in opinion polls. But its support dropped by a third this month after an anti-racism rapper was stabbed to death by a self-proclaimed supporter. Golden Dawn denied it had anything to do with the killing. Venizelos said the government was taking all possible legal measures against Golden Dawn, including sending police and prosecutors to investigate other possible criminal activities such as illegal fundraising and links to the underworld. Greek media reported that Golden Dawn was considering pulling its deputies from parliament in reaction to the crackdown, hoping to force new elections, at least in some constituencies if not nationally, in order to show their standing is strong and to shake the political establishment. Venizelos said opinion polls showed their standing had quickly declined after the killing, which had unified mainstream political parties against Golden Dawn. Public Opinion survey Golden Dawn entered parliament for the first time last year, capitalizing on discontent over a financial crisis that has seen incomes plummet and unemployment rise to nearly 28 percent. A fringe party until recently, it has become Greece’s third most popular political force in opinion polls. A survey by the ALCO pollsters in the days after the stabbing found support for the party fell by 4 percentage points to 6.8 percent. Nearly 80 percent of Greeks said such violent acts were a threat to democracy. General early elections? A clear “No!” Venizelos said if the far-right deputies pulled out, elections would take place in only 15 constituencies and give an opportunity for parties to present a united front. “It’s a great opportunity for the so called constitutional spectrum to organizes a unified reaction against Golden Dawn,” he said. [Reuters via ekathimerini] Of course, it’s a great opportunity for the democratic forces, in case the democratic forces unity and bring common candidates to compete against Golden Dawn rivals. But if they would follow the common Greek practice of narrow party interests, this could backfire and bring a bitter surprise for the so-called “constitutional spectrum”. Golden Dawn is cornered and under immense pressure. And it will certainly use all means not to return to the political invisibility it was before the economic crisis. Golden Dawn leader does not exclude mass resignation of 18 MPs Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Politics The leadership of  Golden Dawn neither dismissed nor confirmed the scenario of a possible mass resignation of lawmakers of the extreme-right party. Leader of Golden Dawn, Nikos Michaloliakos, did not exclude the possibility that 18 lawmakers would resign opening the way for possible repetition elections in 15 constituencies of Greece. At the same time, he reiterated that his party is displeased with those selling out Greece and that  that his party is not a criminal organization . Nikos Michaloliakos: “The rise of the Golden Dawn displeased the looters of people’s sweat. Golden Dawn will defend at all costs its political entity and its political pride. It’s not us who are criminals but those who bankrupted the country. We will exhaust all means of our legal constitutional rights in order to defend our political pride. If the country enters into a circle of destabilization Golden Dawn will not be liable for this. Golden Dawn defends itself.” Earlier,  Ilias Kassidiaris, spokesman of Golden Dawn said: “The government can not cope politically with Golden Dawn , therefore it uses illegal manipulations, super-surveillance bugs that spy on lawmakers,  false witnesses who have no names and evidence. Greek people do not believe anymore the propaganda of the television networks, we are here, we will use every legal mean to safeguard our constitutionally protected rights. Every legal mean against an illegitimate government.” Neither Michaloliakos, not the GD spokesman elaborated on the “legal means.” This made many Greek media interpret the GD statements as an option to mass resignation and repetition elections in 15 constituencies. Meanwhile, Greek media claim that the Judiciary has evidence of criminal activities for three GD lawmakers. KTG story on the issue Can Golden Dawn enforce early elections through the mass resignation of its 18 MPs? AND.... http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-26/greece-verge-military-special-forces-have-15-demands-or-else Greece On The Verge? Military Special Forces Have 15 Demands... Or Else Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/26/2013 15:48 -0400 Corruption   Greece   Hungary   Unemployment inShare10 Greek government authorities are on alert after a union of Greek army reservists of Special Forces issued a statement urging the Greek administration to step down and make way for a national unity government. As Keep Talking Greece notes, the statement on the union' website included 15 demands - including the resignation of the Greek President - and urged people to gather at the infamous Syntagma Square on Saturday. The statement was interpreted by some as a call to a "coup d'etat" - denied by the union - but prompted Greece's Supreme Court to meet to discuss it. The 15 Demands... The announcement of reservists as posted on the website keed-hellas.blogspot.com "OUR PRIMARY PURPOSE DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY. Reservists Special Forces and the Greek people to implementation of Article 120 of the Constitution requires: 1. IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION OF GOVERNMENT of the impossibility of providing the people as provided in the Constitution at Work (Article 22), health, education, justice, security. Two. ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL GOVERNMENT PLANS chaired by Supreme Court of personalities on proven outside politics and consultants from the Academy of Athens. Three. SUSPENSION OF APPLICATION NOTICE MNIMONIAKON laws and within two months, with a ban on participation of all citizens who participated in the governments responsible for the current economic situation. 4. EXAMINING BOARD of the supreme court and accountability for the HOW and WHO led us to Catastrophic Agreement Memorandum. Establishment of Constitutional Court Effective power impose its will. 5. Immediate suspension of dismissal from the State. 6. SUSPENSION further TAX for Family Income up to 25.000 €. 7. SUSPENSION auctions and bank claims until the Completion Audit of Banks of Certified Public Accountants and accountability. 8. Complaint EPACHTHOUS DEBT. 9. PROHIBITION OF SALE PUBLIC PROPERTY, Resume Defence Industries. 10. DIRECT confiscation German (Retail / Business / Office) FULL COMPENSATION until the Greek government for war reparations and occupation loan. 11. BREAK THE LAW ON LIABILITY minister and VOULEFTIKIS ASYLIAS. Regardless of all "THE GREEKS ARE EQUAL BEFORE THE LAW" (Article 4). 12. CONTROL assets of those involved in economic positions of government, prosecute illicit enrichment and Efficiency to the State. 13. OPERATIONAL CONTROL - LICENSING LEGALITY broadcasters and immediate return to the Greek government debts. 14. Protection from Hostile Elongation at AEGEAN, Macedonia, Epirus, Thrace and Cyprus, while suppressing the various groups that see inside. 15. REMOVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS with a similar promotion in European countries and the server. EXPORT BAN MONEY Over 20% of the taxable income of such. • The KK PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC INVITED WAIVED as an appropriate time to facilitate desired development of the Greek people. • THESMOS WARRANTOR all of the above may be the ARMED FORCES OF THE COUNTRY AS POWERFUL ANIDIOTELIS ENTITY TO ANY THREAT. • Bodies SECURITY REQUIRED TO SECURING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ABOVE AND SMOOTH MIGRATION IN ACTUAL constitutional legality. " * * * And some more from the Guardian: No country has displayed more of a "backslide in democracy" than Greece, the British thinktank Demos has said in a study highlighting the crisis-plagued country's slide into economic, social and political disarray. Released on the same day that judicial authorities ordered an investigation into a blog posting by an elite reservist group linked to Greece's armed forces calling for a coup d'etat, the study singled out Greece and Hungary for being "the most significant democratic backsliders" in the EU. "Researchers found Greece overwhelmed by high unemployment, social unrest, endemic corruption and a severe disillusionment with the political establishment," it said. The report, commissioned by the European parliament, noted that Greece was the most corrupt state in the 28-nation bloc and voiced fears over the rise of far-right extremism in the country. The report was released as the fragile two-party coalition of the prime minister, Antonis Samaras, admitted it was worried by a call for a military coup posted overnight on Wednesday on the website of the Special Forces Reserve Union. "It must worry us," said a government spokesman, Simos Kedikoglou. "The overwhelming majority in the armed forces are devoted to our democracy," he said. "The few who are not will face the consequences." With tension running high after a crackdown on the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, a supreme court public prosecutor demanded an immediate inquiry into who may have written the post, which called for an interim government under "the guarantee of the armed forces". The special forces reservist unit who issued the social media call – whose members appeared in uniform to protest against a visit to Athens by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel – said Greece should renege on the conditions attached to an international bailout and set up special courts to prosecute those responsible for its worst financial crisis in modern times. Assets belonging to German companies, individuals or the state should be seized to pay off war reparations amassed during the Nazi occupation. Greece probes blog post calling for government change A prosecutor in Athens has ordered an investigation into a blog post on the special forces reservists' website demanding the government and president resign and an interim government be appointed under the "guarantee" of the armed forces. The misdemeanor court prosecutor ordered the investigation Thursday into the posting, which appeared overnight on the website of the Special Forces Reserve Union (KEED). Apart from the government's resignation, the posting calls for Greece to withdraw from its bailout obligations, special courts be set up to prosecute those responsible for Greece's financial crisis and all property held by German companies, individuals or the state seized to pay off German World War II debts, among other things. The posting said the "institution guaranteeing all of the above could be the country's armed forces." [AP]

ekathimerini.com , Thursday September 26, 2013 (11:14) Officials hold emergency meeting following statement by army reservists union Government and judicial officials held an emergency meeting at Supreme Court late Wednesday after a union of Greek army reservists (KEED) issued a statement urging the Greek administration to step down and make way for a national unity government. The KEED statement, which was posted on the union's website, said that the coalition government must resign after failing to live up with a constitutional pledge to provide work, health, education, justice and security for all citizens. The statement included 15 demands, including the resignation of Greek President Karolos Papoulias, and it urged people to join hands with the army. Greek authorities have not issued an official statement on the reports. ekathimerini.com , Thursday September 26, 2013 (08:32) Bank deposits still falling ..... Private-sector deposits in Cypriot banks slide in August Consumers and companies continued to withdraw deposits from banks in Cyprus in August, where big account holders in the two largest lenders were forced to take a hit as part of an international bailout. Private-sector deposits fell by 2.1 percent to 35.9 billion euros after a 2.4 percent fall in July, European Central Bank data showed on Wednesday. They had peaked at 50.5 billion euros in May of last year and have now lost almost 30 percent of the private-sector deposit base in just 15 months, hitting the lowest level since June 2008. Banks on the island were shut for nearly two weeks in March after Cyprus agreed a 10-billion-euro bailout, which forced major depositors to pay part of the cost of the rescue. Capital controls are still in place on the island, with limits on how much people can transfer from their accounts. Cyprus is gradually easing the controls. The data showed that deposits in other southern European countries mired in the debt crisis remained relatively stable. Private-sector deposits fell less than half a percent in Portugal in August. They were flat in Greece and up slightly in both Italy and Spain. Monthly fluctuations in the figures are common, though sharp consecutive drops in countries with stable banking systems are unusual. The data, which are for all currencies combined, are not seasonally adjusted and differ slightly from national central bank figures. They exclude deposits from central government and banks. [Reuters] ekathimerini.com , Thursday September 26, 2013 (15:22) Greek bank deposits fall further in August Greek bank deposits dropped slightly in August, for the third straight month, central bank data showed on Thursday. Deposits of businesses and households fell 0.1 percent from July to 162.21 billion euros ($219.10 billion), the Bank of Greece said. Greek banks had lost around 90 billion euros, a third of their deposit base, after the country plunged into a debt crisis in late 2009, partly due to capital flight on fears of a euro zone exit. They picked up slightly, by about 17 billion euros, in the months following a mid-June 2012 election, which led to the formation of a new government and eased fears Athens would leave the single currency. But the inflows have dried up since March, when Cyprus was bailed out at the expense of bank deposit holders. Austerity-hit households and businesses have also been running down bank accounts to pay for higher taxes imposed as part of Greece's international bailout as incomes drop. [Reuters] ekathimerini.com , Thursday September 26, 2013 (15:12) Bailout news / Troika news.... Venizelos: Greece does not need third bailout, seeks debt 'reprofiling' Greece does not require a third bailout and can cover its needs without further burdening its current backers, by improving the terms of its debt and possibly returning to the bond market next year, the country's deputy prime minister said on Wednesday. Evangelos Venizelos, who is also foreign minister in a coalition government, is determined not to impose losses on Greece's European Union partners and the International Monetary Fund, which have pulled the troubled country from the brink of bankruptcy with about 240 billion euros ($325 billion) so far. "We understand very, very well how difficult it is for every government to accept debt relief. ... Our demand is not debt relief. It is additional reprofiling without problem, without additional burden for our institutional partners," Venizelos said in an interview with top editors at Reuters in New York. His comments came days after elections in Germany, whose support to Greece came in exchange for waves of austerity measures that have created political and social turmoil across the Mediterranean nation. The Greek debt crisis shook the eurozone and global financial markets and plunged the country into a recession, now in its sixth year. Unemployment hovers near 28 percent nationally and at about 60 percent for young adults. "We are talking about the potential for a lost generation here," Venizelos said, adding that the prospect of a social explosion if Greek citizens are forced to endure more fiscal austerity was the biggest risk for the country. "It is not possible to implement new fiscal measures. It is not possible to impose new cuts on wages and pensions," he said. He said the rise of the far-right Golden Dawn party, which last year entered the 300-seat parliament for the first time, and won 18 seats in June elections, was a product of the crisis. Since the sovereign debt crisis of 2009, Greece has been shut out of international capital markets, resorting only to short-term borrowings, and has relied on two bailouts and a major writedown of Greek debt held by private investors. Despite punishing fiscal measures and cash injections, it is expected to need an additional 10 billion to 12 billion euros in the next two years. The eurozone is likely to decide on a third bailout for Greece in November after international inspectors finish an assessment of its reforms. Venizelos, a constitutional law professor and former finance minister who negotiated the debt writedown, said Greece was not looking for any more handouts but could cover its needs by returning to the bond market as early as next year and by renegotiating the interest and maturity of existing debt. "Our point is not to transform the adjustment program as a more loose program, but to implement through a clever manner the existing program,» he said. Venizelos said Greece's 330 billion euros of public debt was modest when compared with the multi-trillions of euros held by Germany, Italy and France, but that precludes the size of the overall economy, which is now one of the smallest in the EU. Greeks often blame Germany for the tough austerity measures imposed on the country as a condition for the two prior bailouts, which have led to the economy shrinking by almost a quarter since 2008. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's landslide victory came with the rise of a more euroskeptic political movement that is hostile to euro zone bailouts. But Venizelos said now that the elections were out of the way in Germany, there was the opportunity to talk strategically about Europe's future, and what he deemed the «re-evaluation and the reassessment of our common European destiny." [Reuters] ekathimerini.com , Thursday September 26, 2013 (07:32) Samaras to meet troika before US trip on Saturday Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is due to meet troika representatives on Saturday before heading to the USA, where he will hold talks with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, Kathimerini understands. By Saturday, troika inspectors will have finished their first round of meetings with ministry officials and should be ready to discuss with the premier what actions remain before Greece is in a position to receive its next bailout tranche of 1 billion euros. The decision to release the latest loan installment is due to be taken at a meeting of the Eurogroup on October 14. The Greek side does not envisage any major problems before then and is more concerned about the discussions that will take place after that regarding the future of the Greek program, which runs until next summer, and what amount of further funding will be required. This is an issue that Samaras hopes to take up with Lagarde when the pair meet in the USA. The Greek prime minister is due to hold talks with the IMF chief in Washington on October 1. At the moment, there is some distance between Greece and its lenders in terms of agreeing on how much financing Greece will need next year and in 2015, with Athens reluctant to adopt any more austerity measures this year or next due to concerns about the political impact of such a move. ekathimerini.com , Wednesday September 25, 2013 (19:20)