President optimistic, cautiously

The president had a long talk with finance minister Yannis Stournaras about whom he said that he is has the optimism of a fighter  and as he noted he counted himself among such fighter.

Mr Papoulias expressed his belief that 2014 would be politically calm, because as he said no one benefits from political unrest, while commenting on incidents of corruption he asked of justice ministerCharalambos Athanasiou to “take heads.”

“Incidents of corruption should be eradicated, heads should be taken,” while commenting on the Stock Exchange case, he called heinous the fact that all the accused were found not guilty even though, as said, it was in the hands of justice.

On the issue of arms procurements the president noted that there should be substantive legal regulations, noting it should not be possible for certain people to do what they do.

“In Europe, in the past, they put their whole hands in the cookie jar,” noted Mr Papoulias.

Present at the ceremony to exchange good wishes for the new year were PM Antonis Samaras, SYRIZA president Alexis Tsipras, KKE secretary geberal Dimitris Koutsoumbas, Independent Greeks president Panos Kammenos, an LAOS president Giorgos Karatzaferis.