[beonecenry]

Greek Finance Minister Giorgos Papakonstantinou told SPIEGEL that his country had "suffered a complete loss of credibility.



Greek anger has focused particularly on Germany. On Tuesday, a tabloid published a mock-up of the Victory Column in Berlin holding a swastika. The broadside came in response to the recent cover of German newsmagazine Focus which depicted the Venus di Milo giving the finger (pictured in the upper right-hand corner). The headline reads "Swindlers in the European Family."


'Dangerous Misconceptions'

There are increasing tensions between Greece and fellow euro zone members, who are reluctant to pledge financial help. Germany, the EU's biggest economy, has been particularly vociferous in its reluctance to come to Greece's aid.

There is growing consternation in Greece at the perceived disrespectful tone in the German media. On Tuesday, parliamentary speaker Filippos Petsalnikos summoned the German ambassador to complain about press reports, particularly about the cover of newsmagazine Focus, which showed an ancient Greek statue making an obscene gesture, under the headline "Swindlers in the Euro Family."

"It is dangerous to create misconceptions that Greeks are nothing but thieves, crooks and layabouts living off German taxpayers' money," he told the NET radio station on Tuesday. "This is simply not true."

On Wednesday the media war of images escalated, with the Greek newspaper Eleftheros Typos publishing an image of the Victory Column in Berlin with the figure of the goddess Victoria holding aloft a swastika.

smd -- with wire reports