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Angela Merkel:
But what does this Cynegeirus* want?
German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble:
He wants to stay in Europe at all costs
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Complete confusion reigned in Athens on 25 October on the progress of negotiations between the government and the EU-ECB-IMF troika. Yesterday, Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras announced that agreement had been reached on a new package of measures to save 13.5 billion euros in exchange for another tranche of economic aid. Brussels and the IMF, however, immediately denied this. Stournaras, who must find an agreement by November 16 (when the Greek treasury will be empty), was briefly hospitalised on Thursday morning with a viral infection and exhaustion.
*Cynegeirus, brother of ancient Greek tragedian Aeschylus, died fighting a retreating Persian ship after the battle of Marathon in 490 BC, for which his countrymen extolled him as a hero. According to legend, when he lost his right hand, he grasped the enemy's vessel with his left. Then, having successively lost both his hands, he hung on by his teeth.
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