Photo Gallery Bailout or Pullout?
The Greek government's appeal for help is putting Chancellor Angela Merkel under pressure. With Germany required to provide billions over the coming years to pay for the Greek bailout, there are growing calls in the German government for Greece to withdraw from the euro zone. Here, riot policemen stand guard in front of a Greek bank during an April 23 demonstration in Athens about the economic situation.
On Friday a fax from the Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou (center) arrived in Brussels requesting "activation of the support mechanism."
Demonstrators clashed with riot police in Athens on Thursday as public sector employees held a 24-hour walkout to protest against austerity measures imposed by the Greek government. Prominent German economists say that if economic growth suffers too heavily under the rigid austerity measures, the bailout plans will not work at all.
Greek diplomats protested outside the Foreign Ministry on April 12, where they hung black banners. Salary cuts for the diplomats were part of the austerity measures the Greek goverment is implementing.
German critics of the euro currency have already made it clear that they see aid for Greece as a violation of European treaties. Here, Greece's delegation, including Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou (center), speaks at the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington on Sunday.
For weeks, Chancellor Angela Merkel had promised citizens that she would only disburse German taxpayer money to Greece as a "last resort." She now faces pressure from within her party because of key upcoming state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia.
A machine at the Greek National Mint produces one-euro coins. "Prosperity and social justice require a stable currency, but we aren't giving out any blank checks," said German Foreign Minister and FDP leader Guido Westerwelle on Sunday. "Greece must get its own house in order for a start, and aid can only be given as a last resort to protect our own currency."
