Government focus on EU talks, not domestic politics

The government must focus on negotiations with its European partners over the next few days rather than concern itself with developments in domestic politics, according to spokesman Ilias Mosialos.

Speaking to Skai radio on Friday morning, Mosialos attempted to play down calls from some of the MPs in the ruling PASOK party for a renewed attempt to form a coalition government.

?The priority must be the negotiations that will take place over the next few days,? said the government spokesman. ?The government will then examine the political situation we face based on the outcome of these negotiations.?

Eurozone finance ministers are meeting in Brussels on Friday. The Eurogroup may decide to give the green light for the disbursement of Greece?s next loan tranche, worth 8 billion euros.

European Union leaders are due to hold a summit on Sunday, when they will discuss how to tackle Greece?s debt problem and in what way the European Financial Stability Facility should be changed to give it greater power and flexibility.

Eurozone leaders will hold a separate summit next Wednesday, when it is expected that they may have finalized their plans for tackling the current economic crisis.

In Greece, PASOK?s majority in Parliament was reduced to three when former Labor Minister Louka Katseli was ejected from the party?s parliamentary group for voting against Article 37 of the austerity bill passed through Parliament on Thursday.

Katseli?s opposition to the suspension of collective contracts means she will now sit in the House as an independent. A number of her colleagues suggested that PASOK must seek to form a government of national unity in a bid to create greater support for the measures being adopted.

Mosialos said that the government?s offer to New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras to join Prime Minister George Papandreou on his trip to Brussels was still open.

Samaras, who met with President Karolos Papoulias on Friday morning, has rejected the offer.