Zero tolerance to corruption says Tsipras

Describing his government as one of social salvation, the prime minister went on to outline the government’s first four priorities:

    Combating the humanitarian crisis in the country
    Supporting the revival of the economy
    Entering into new negotiations with the country’s lenders in pursuit of a fair and sustainable solution. He made a particular reference to the upcoming visits to Greece by the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz and the Europgroup chief, Jeroen Dijsselbloem and revealed that the government would submit a four-year financial plan that foresaw balanced budgets but which would not, as he said, abide by the obligation to maintain ‘impossible and ruinous’ surpluses.
    Taking on the web vested interests and corruption that has become entrenched in Greece over decades.

Tsipras noted that the government is prepared to negotiate with Greece’s partners and lenders for a fair and sustainable solution with regards to the debt. He stated that the government has a four-year growth and tax plan ready and stated that the ‘Cassandras’ would be proven wrong and that his government would not provoke a ‘mutually destructive rift’ with Greece’s European partners.

“The country demands that we bleed in defense of its dignity,” he said characteristically and called on his ministers to exercise power with a completely different attitude and ethic than governments in the past.

“We are not coming to enjoy the trappings of power,” he said, demanding a zero tolerance approach to incidents of arrogance. He said that waste must be avoided and stressed that incidents of corruption would be handled ruthlessly.

Alexis Tsipras spoke for about 20 minutes at the meeting which began half an hour late and heralded a change in the international climate saying that Greece had ‘lifted its head’.

A rift should not be opened with the country’s lenders, but nor should catastrophic policies be continued he stressed.