The [Greek] European Tragedy: Angela Merkel's visit to Greece: what the papers say

By Szu Ping Chan 9:52AM BST 10 Oct 2012

"Disgusting" protests, "outrageous" support from Germany's left wing leader for his Greek counterpart and "relief and satisfaction" is some of the media reaction following Angela Merkel's meeting with Antonis Samaras on Tuesday.

Antonis Samaras, the Greek prime minister, met Mrs Merkel in Athens (AP)
Bild

Germany's best-selling tabloid newspaper doesn't do subtle, and today is no exception. Angela Merkel may be many things, it says, but she's not a Nazi.
The paper attacks the "disgusting" protests against Merkel in Athens yesterday. And just to rub salt in German wounds, it adds: "we will pay even more". In this case, €30m more to support administrative reform in Greece.
The paper highlights the stark contrast between the calm of yesterday's meeting inside Maximos Mansion and the protests outside.
"It looked different, very different," the paper says. "They wore Nazi uniforms, army jackets. One poster read: 'Merkel, Hitler's Daughter.' Another stated: 'Get out of our country, you b----.'"
Handelsblatt

Handelsblatt looks at German politician Bernd Riexinger's appearance with Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras yesterday, and the resulting political backlash:
CDU (Angela Merkel's party) and FDP (Merkel's junior coalition partner) have criticised the participation of the Left party leader Bernd Riexinger in the demonstrations against the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) in Athens.
"It is unprecedented and outrageous, as the chairman of the parliamentary party represented the anti-German protests in Athens as a stage used for policy making against the interests of their own country," Gerda Hasselfeldt, the chairman of the CSU parliamentary group said in parliament.

_{Alexis Tsipras, right, the leader of Greece's main opposition Syriza party, accompanied by Bernd Riexinger, left, co-leader of Germany's Left party Die Linke, walk during a protest in Athens on Tuesday (Photo: AP).}
Süddeutsche Zeitung

Süddeutsche Zeitung leads with Merkel's message yesterday that Greece's tough medicine will pay off. It also highlights Samaras's promises to implement reforms.
Die Welt

"Merkel promises Athens a little help" was one of several headlines in today's Die Welt.
The paper says that the German Chancellor had warm words for her Greek counterpart on the brief visit to Athens.
Away from the reportage, a journalist from the paper told BBC News yesterday that Germany was being "kicked in the f----" by the Greeks.
Kathimerini

In Greece, Kathimerini's front page talks of light at the end of the tunnel for the country, but highlights that the German Chancellor did not commit to paying its next tranche of aid. Nor did she mention the idea of giving Greece more time to implement austerity measures.
The paper also reports yesterday's protests against Mrs Merkel. "However, there were no riots," the paper points out.
Ta Nea

There were "warm words for Greece," Ta Nea reports, but no concrete commitments. It says:
Given the climate of hostility that has poisoned relations between Greece and Germany in the past two years, the first visit of Chancellor in Athens achieved at least the minimum: it conveyed to the German public the message that the Chancellor has not written off Greece from the eurozone.
To Vima

"Relief and satisfaction". That's how Greek newspaper To Vima reports yesterday's meeting. Merkel is a "powerful ally" for Greece, the paper says, not only in its "quest for the disbursement of the next tranche of its bail-out, but also to win an extension on its fiscal adjustment".
...and finally...

Eagle-eyed journalist James Creedon at France 24 highlights this coincidence from yesterday's meeting:
Twitter: James Creedon - #Merkel wears same jacket in #Greece visit as during #Germany v Greece in #Euro2012... #Bild readers will lap it up.http://t.co/ZCyNUFSf

That result? 4-2 to Germany, although Samaras - that's Georgios - not Antonis - scored an equaliser before Germany prevailed.