Embattled Greek leader calls for support

PRIME Minister George Papandreou, besieged by public protests and dissent in his own party, appealed to Greeks yesterday to support deeply unpopular austerity reforms and avoid a catastrophic bankruptcy.

Papandreou addressed parliament at the start of a confidence debate in his new crisis cabinet, ahead of a eurozone finance ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg that is expected to release a new aid tranche to keep Greece going.

Papandreou said Greece was at a critical crossroads and its cash reserves would soon be exhausted without the €12 billion tranche from the European Union and International Monetary Fund (IMF).