Greek media reflect public anxiety for imminent interim gov't

On the third day of consultations between outgoing Prime Minister George Papandreou and main opposition leader Antonis Samaras, Greek media reflected on Wednesday mounting public anxiety for the announcement of an interim government. The delay to agree on a new prime minister and cabinet to finalize a vital European Union (EU) bailout pact increased political uncertainty and aggravated the country's position in international markets, local analysts warned in media reports. "Find a solution! Thriller with the selection of the prime minister," was the headline on the first page of "Ethnos" (The Nation) daily, highlighting that time was running out. Meanwhile, "Eleftherotypia" (Free Press) newspaper run a top story under the title "Government with the unknown X," while the headline of "Kathimerini" (Daily) newspaper's first page was "The political parties hesitate to proceed." Top selling daily "Ta Nea" (The News) run a story titled "The ghost of Italy looms over the sixth loan tranche," underlining that due to the Italian crisis, the pressure from the EU on Greece to resolve the Greek crisis swiftly intensified. Otherwise, the country was in danger of imminent default, if EU counterparts would not release the aid tranche to Athens. "I don't sign. There is an issue of national dignity," was the headline of "Eleftheros Typos" (Free Press) daily, referring to the EU request that five top political leaders sign a commitment to the Oct. 26 EU aid pact and Samaras' refusal to do so.