(16 May 2011 – Greece) The arrest of International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn will have no impact on Greece’s resolve to fix the country’s public finances government spokesman George Petalotis said.’We have a specific program that the IMF also takes part in, and we are continuing to implement that program,’ Mr Petalotis said.
‘As such, it is not an issue of individual personalities; it is an issue of institutional arrangements.’
Mr Strauss-Kahn was charged with attempted rape, criminal sexual act and unlawful imprisonment over the weekend in an alleged incident involving a cleaning woman in the New York Sofitel Hotel where he was staying.
Greek officials privately conceded that if Mr Strauss-Kahn is proven guilty, it would amount to a major blow for country’s search for allies if it needs further financial aid.
During a visit to Athens in December the IMF chief had been highly critical of other European leaders for not reacting more quickly to the euro-zone debt crisis, and had lauded Greece for its reform efforts.
Mr Strauss-Kahn also is on friendly terms with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou. He has been a supporter of Greece’s reform efforts and was instrumental in helping to hammer out the €110 billion (A$147 billion) bailout package with the European Union and IMF in May 2010 to keep Greece out of default.