新紧缩措施让希腊政府困顿难行

Greek citizen Amalia Stinga says the prime minister is not making the effort he needs to make. She believes Papandreou is afraid. She adds that if he were not afraid, he would have done things differently.

希腊民众斯廷加说，总理没有尽力做到他需要的工作。她说， 帕潘德里欧瞻前顾后，如果他不怕的话，他就会有不同的做法。

Greece is in major debt and unable to pay back the money it owes. Last year, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pledged multi-billion-dollar loans in order to help Greece out of its financial troubles. But that money is conditional upon a tough austerity program.

希腊负债累累，无法偿还所欠的债款。去年，欧盟和国际货币基金组织承诺给希腊几十亿美元贷款，以帮助希腊解决财务问题。但是，贷款的条件是希腊必须采取大刀阔斧的紧缩项目。

Simon Tilford, chief economist at the Center for European Reform, based in London, says the current political turmoil in Greece was unavoidable given the terms set by the EU and the IMF.

塞门蒂尔福特是位于伦敦的欧洲改革中心首席经济学家。他说，欧盟和国际货币基金组织设下的条件使目前希腊出现的骚乱无法避免。

"What they are trying to do is almost impossible economically," noted Tilford. "The Greeks have met the terms of their fiscal austerity program. They have cut public spending by more than any other developed economy has ever done in such a short space of time. But because those public spending cuts have hit economic growth harder than the EU or the IMF thought they would, they are still in breach of their agreement."

蒂尔福特说：“他们的办法在经济上几乎是无法办到的。 希腊人已经达成了财政紧缩项目的条件。 在这么短的时间里，他们削减的公共支出比其他已开发国家做过得要多出很多。但是削减那些公共支出给经济增长的打击要比欧盟或国际货币基金组织预想的更为严重。希腊人还是无法履行贷款协议”

Tilford adds that there is a limit to how much any country can cut spending. And right now, spending cuts are only serving to stifle the Greek economy. He calls the situation a "death trap."

经济学家蒂尔福特说，每个国家削减开支的做法是有限度的。目前，削减开支只会让希腊经济窒息，他说，这种情况是个[死亡陷阱]。

"Unless there is a change of track by the EU and the IMF, further political instability is all but guaranteed," Tilford noted.

蒂尔福特说：“除非欧盟和国际货币基金组织改变做法，否则今后希腊的政治肯定不会稳定。”

On Thursday, world stocks hit a three-month low and the euro slumped to a one-month low.

星期四，世界股票市场下跌到3个月来的最低点，欧元则下跌到一个月来的最低价格。