Greece is looking for islands of opportunity amid a sea of debt, as the troubled countrys leader mulls the profitability of its uninhabited land parcels. <\/p>\n
Prime Minister Antonis Samaras told Frances Le Monde that some Greek islands may have commercial use as long as this doesnt pose problems for national security, openly pondering investment opportunities. <\/p>\n
Samaras argued that investment is crucial to reviving the Greek economy, adding that railways and a portion of the Attica coast may also be attractive to private patrons. <\/p>\n
Local travel sites list Chrissi as one of the many uninhabited isles surrounding Crete, Greece. (GreekDestinations.com)He qualified that the assets, especially the islands, would not simply be liquidated. <\/p>\n
\"This is not, in any way, about selling them off for cheap, but about transforming unused terrain into capital that could generate revenue, at a fair price,\" Samaras said in the Thursday interview. <\/p>\n
The president did not elaborate or say the government would sell the islands altogether. <\/p>\n
The idea comes on the heels of Greeces admission that it needs more time to implement the tough financial reforms and spending cuts the eurozone and the International Monetary Fund have demanded in return for bailout help. <\/p>\n
\"Let me be very clear: we are not asking for extra money,\" Samaras told the German daily Bild. \"All we want is a little air to breathe to get the economy going and increase state income,\" he said. <\/p>\n
\"More time does not automatically mean more money.\" <\/p>\n
Greece's Finance Ministry said the country's total central government debt stood at 303.5 billion ($370 billion Cdn) at the end of July 2012, up from 280.2 billion at the end of the first three months of this year. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Greece eyeing its islands for much-needed cash<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Greece is looking for islands of opportunity amid a sea of debt, as the troubled countrys leader mulls the profitability of its uninhabited land parcels. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras told Frances Le Monde that some Greek islands may have commercial use as long as this doesnt pose problems for national security, openly pondering investment opportunities. Continue reading