No. 2 Greek
party opposes austerity demands
IMF chief debt inspector Poul Thomsen member of the so-called troika of Greece's creditors _ the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund _ leaves the prime minister's official residence after meeting with Greece's Prime Minister Lucas Papademos in Athens, Greece on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012. The troika demanded tougher austerity measures, private sector pay cuts and firings of civil servants. At stake is a new euro130 billion ($171 billion) bailout deal without which Greece will default before the end of March. (AP Photo.Kostas Tsironis)
IMF chief debt inspector Poul Thomsen, bottom left, European Commission official Matthias Mors, right and Klaus Masuch of the European Central Bank, top center, representatives of the so-called troika of Greece's creditors _ the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund _ leaves the prime minister's official residence after meeting with Greece's Prime Minister Lucas Papademos in Athens, Greece on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012. The troika demanded tougher austerity measures, private sector pay cuts and firings of civil servants. At stake is a new euro130 billion ($171 billion) bailout deal without which Greece will default before the end of March. (AP Photo.Kostas Tsironis)
IMF chief debt inspector Poul Thomsen, member of the so-called troika of Greece's creditors, the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, leaves the prime minister's official residence after meeting with Greece's Prime Minister Lucas Papademos in Athens, Greece on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012. The troika demanded tougher austerity measures, private sector pay cuts and firings of civil servants. At stake is a new euro130 billion ($171 billion) bailout deal without which Greece will default before the end of March. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, arrives for his meeting with the leaders of the three parties backing Greece's coalition government, in Athens on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012. They are meeting to consider demands by Greece's creditors for tougher austerity measures, private sector pay cuts and firings of civil servants. At stake is a new euro130 billion ($171 billion) bailout deal without which Greece will default before the end of March. (AP Photo.Kostas Tsironis)
The leaders of the three parties backing Greece's coalition government, George Papandreou, right, Giorgos Karatzaferis, left, and Antonis Samaras, 2nd left, meet with Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, 2nd from left, in Athens on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012. They are meeting to consider demands by Greece's creditors for tougher austerity measures, private sector pay cuts and firings of civil servants. At stake is a new euro130 billion ($171 billion) bailout deal without which Greece will default before the end of March. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The leader of Greece’s No. 2 party said rescue creditors were demanding measures that would deepen the country’s recession, and promised to oppose them “with all means.”
Conservative leader Antonis Samaras met leaders of other parties backing the government coalition Sunday to review austerity measures needed for a new (euro) 130 billion ($171 billion) bailout deal, without which the country would face bankruptcy in late March.
The coalition backers failed to conclude talks after a five-hour meeting and said they would resume talks Monday.