Clashes in Greece as a key early EU and IMF visit

Athens - a group of 150 Hooded demonstrators attacked three policemen in an Athens hospital after a protestor was seriously injured in an anti-austerity of March the first day of a visit by inspectors from the EU and the IMF.

Police had fired tear gas shells earlier Wednesday to disperse demonstrators throwing stones as sent senior EU and IMF began talks with the Government on the intensification of the tax reforms needed to get the next tranche of a rescue plan.

"Hooded young people burst into the Office of the Executive of the hospital and beat three police officers who investigate injuries to the woman, said a police officer who refused to be named." Two police officers were slightly injured and one suffered more serious injuries to the head. ?

The Greek demonstrator of 31 years, appointed Ioannis Kafkas, was in stable condition but critical after surgery of the brain, the Health Ministry, said earlier Wednesday.

Inspectors from the European Union of Senior and the Monetary Fund International met the Minister of finance George Papaconstantinou early to visit a few metres (yards) away from the March of protest organized against wage reductions and trade unions say these increases are strangling the economy.

Police said 17 demonstrators and two police officers were hurt during clashes while 24 people were arrested that day a strike across the country began a large part of the Greece.

The visit of the EU and the IMF will decide if Greece will get a fifth rescue aid bracket 110 billion euros which has saved from bankruptcy last year. Without the next instalment of 12 billion euros, the key to pay immediate financing needs of EUR 13.7 billion, the Greece would be actually default.

Officials of the IMF and EU will also give Athens improved loan conditions or more aid to avoid its huge debt restructuring. Investors say a restructuring, impose losses on private bond, is inevitable without more funding.

Responsible of Euro including German Chancellor Angela Merkel said they will await the result of the visit of inspection before taking any decision.

Police said about 20,000 protesters - less than previous protests, marching to Parliament. The Greece has a history of events that can degenerate. In December 2008, Athens was paralyzed weeks by rioting triggered by the police killing of a teenager and fuelled by anger with economic difficulties.

"ENOUGH!"

Athens was almost deserted with many businesses and public services closed and posters reading: "we can take it no more." The rich and the tax evaders should pay. ?

Litsa Papadaki, 60, a homemaker and mother of three women who protested in the centre of Athens, said: "enough is enough!" They kill us and our children. ?

Greek debt prices have stabilized, but the markets are stiffened some form of restructuring in the long term, because the Greece is satisfy with a mountain of debts of EUR 327 billion.

Ten-year Greek bonds were changing hands at about 55% of their nominal value, carrying a 15.696% - little changed on day secondary market performance, but more than 3 percent since the beginning of the year.

The Socialist Government reduced salaries and pensions and tax increases, despite strikes repeated, to meet the objectives of the rescue plan. But such measures have plunged the country into a deep recession and leaf taxes, which hamper efforts to tackle a debt of 150% of GDP.

The national strike based on flights and stopped shipping. Hospitals were operating on skeleton staff, schools were closed and the city transportation was interrupted.

Greek newspapers reported Wednesday that the Government was almost agreement for EU loans and the additional IMF of 50-60 billion euros to cover its deficit financing in 2012 and 2013 in exchange for bold privatization.

But a source of eurozone in Brussels, said the Greece needed to show progress toward the budget meeting and objectives of privatization before other emergency fund could be considered.

The Ministers are now assuming that the Greece cannot regain trust of the investor to return in 2012 financial markets and analysts say that the Government faces difficult choices.

"More austerity is probably not good for the economy... it will deepen the recession and we do not know if it's to produce results in terms of fiscal consolidation, said Diego Iscaro, IHS Global Insight." On the other hand, people will start losing faith in the Government's strategy. ?

The Union of the sector deprived GSEE and his sister in public sector ADEDY, which together represent approximately half of the workforce, said austerity is killing the economy, declined by 4.5 percent in 2010 and is expected to contract by another 3% this year.

Unemployment reached a record 15.1% in January.

GSEE said there was a participation rate of 100% for the walkout, but said Government officials only 12 per cent of public services workers took part.

Prime Minister George Papandreou chaired a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the second in as many days as he tries to rally support new financial and privatization plans them and to suppress the mounting discontent in the ranks of the party.

"We have a duty to lead the country from the crisis in the best possible way", he told his ministers after some complained of the reforms, a slowdown in the pace.

Heads of mission EU and the IMF will be in town for about a week, after the experts have begun checking in early May. Officials have said they would concentrate on a financial plan 2011-2015 and the progress in increments of 50 billion euros from privatizations by 2015.