Greece finalizes agreement with lenders on austerity measures

 Greece finalizes¹ agreement with lenders on austerity measures

ATHENS, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Greece finalized² an agreement with international lenders on the supplementary³ package of austerity and reform measures requested to secure further vital bailout loans in November, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras announced on Tuesday.

"Today we concluded the negotiations⁴ for the measures and the budget. We did everything possible. We exhausted⁵ all margins⁶ of pressure and time. Up to the last minute we achieved significant improvements," he said in a statement issued from his office.

"If this agreement and the budget will be ratified⁷ from the assembly, Greece will remain member of the eurozone, and it will exit the crisis," he added, calling on all political parties and deputies to assume their share of responsibility to meet the goal of averting⁸ a chaotic⁹ default.

According to the Speaker of Parliament Evangelos Meimarakis and Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras the 2013 draft budget will be tabled in the assembly on Wednesday and the austerity package next Monday.

The crucial votes will be held from November 7 to November 11, shortly before a Eurogroup meeting on November 12 which will decide on the release of the next 31.5 billion euro tranche to Athens.

Samaras' announcement came after two months of tough talks with representatives of European Union and International Monetary¹⁰ Fund creditors¹¹ who keep the country afloat under bailout deals since 2010, and within the partners of the four-month coalition¹² government in Greece.

In their first reactions, his two junior center-left parties who had opposed some of the measures, indicated their intentions which has fuelled anxiety of a dangerous split in the coalition.

Moderate Democratic Left (DIMAR) leader Fotis Kouvelis told media that his party does not agree with the final result and still objects to proposed labor¹³ reforms.

Socialist¹⁴ PASOK party chief Evangelos Venizelos on the other hand urged his MPs to back the measures amid local media reports that several deputies will join DIMAR's stance.

The parliamentary groups of both parties hold meetings on Tuesday afternoon to discuss their final position in regards to the austerity package, the budget draft and a privatization bill.

The vote on the latter is scheduled for Wednesday and is regarded as a first crunch¹⁵ test for the government which holds a 176 seat majority in the 300-member strong assembly. The conservative New Democracy party of Samaras holds 127 seats, PASOK 33 and DIMAR 16.

International creditors have stated that they will release the fresh aid only if Greece seals the new package which contains further painful cuts on salaries, wages and tax hikes.

Otherwise, the debt-laden country will run out of cash reserves on November 16, as the Greek government has said, triggering severe repercussions¹⁶ across the euro zone.

Labor unions and opposition¹⁷ parties who denounce austerity due to the mounting unemployment and recession, warn with culmination¹⁸ of protests in coming days. (1 euro= 1.3 U.S. dollars)

1 finalizes   

vt.完成（finalize的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Finalizes the object and removes the associated COM + context. 完成对象并移除关联的COM+上下文。 来自互联网
• The designer finalizes the modified scheme and produces a corresponding budget statement. 业主最终确认设计方案并安排设计师出施工图。 来自互联网

2 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 supplementary   

adj.补充的，附加的

参考例句：

• There is a supplementary water supply in case the rain supply fails.万一主水源断了，我们另外有供水的地方。
• A supplementary volume has been published containing the index.附有索引的增补卷已经出版。

4 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

5 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

6 margins   

边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数

参考例句：

• They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
• To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙，加左或者右的margins来定义链接。

7 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

8 averting   

防止，避免( avert的现在分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• The margin of time for averting crisis was melting away. 可以用来消弥这一危机的些许时光正在逝去。
• These results underscore the value of rescue medications in averting psychotic relapse. 这些结果显示了救护性治疗对避免精神病复发的价值。

9 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

10 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

11 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

13 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

14 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

15 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

16 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

18 culmination   

n.顶点；最高潮

参考例句：

• The space race reached its culmination in the first moon walk.太空竞争以第一次在月球行走而达到顶峰。
• It may truly be regarded as the culmination of classical Greek geometry.这确实可以看成是古典希腊几何的登峰造级之作。