Finance Minister pleads for national unity

Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos pleaded for national unity on Friday. Speaking in Parliament, Venizelos talked about the ongoing wave of nationwide strikes and sit-ins.

?There is a difference between putting up a fight and blackmail,? he said.

Answering questions on the current state of the Greek economy Venizelos noted that exiting the eurozone would be detrimental to the country?s future.

?This is not about Germans or Finns. The issue is what we are doing in our own country,» said the Finance Minister. «But some are playing with fire. They think we can behave like we did back in 2008 or 2009. They are playing with the country?s future, sacrificing common sense in the name of cheap partisan and union interests.”

At the same time, Venizelos announced that a list of major tax debtors will be released by the Ministry of Finance next week. He added that the government is currently negotiating a deal with the Swiss government that could see Greece receiving revenues stemming from taxes imposed on Greek accounts in Swiss banks.

Regarding the double solidarity tax, Venizelos admitted that the new measures will further increase financial strains on households but said that it had to be imposed because the country?s partners and creditors are not convinced of the Greece state?s revenues and are forcing the country to take fresh measures to fill the gap.

On the subject of sit-ins and continuous strike action, Venizelos noted that the state machine has function.

?A sit-in at the State General Accounting Office challenges the heart of democracy,? he said.