Greece prepares for Merkel visit

(Vatican Radio) A massive security operation is being mounted in Athens this morning, hours before the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is due to fly in for a 7-hour official visit. At least 5,000 police have cordoned off large sections of central Athens, to thwart the thousands of protesters who are about to surge into the streets opposing Mrs Merkel’s visit. The entire route in from the airport was closed off from an early hour, while police sharpshooters have taken up position around the Athens Hilton hotel, where Mrs Merkel will have her main meetings. The coalition government of Antonis Samaras is billing the visit as a public relations coup, as he hopes Mrs Merkel will go a bit easier on the demands for more Greek economic sacrifices. But the German leader enters a city far from friendly, as many Greeks, rightly or wrongly, blame her for their current economic woes. The leftwing Syriza party, which is the second biggest party in Greece, has called for a mass demonstration to protest Mrs Merkel’s visit. There’s likely to be violence around Syntagma Square, and the Greek media are fretting that the picture she gets of Greece will not be a very pleasant one. In the absence of any real explanation, analysts here in Athens say Mrs Merkel will act as a high-level cheerleader to keep the Samaras government on the straight and narrow if it wants to get the next dose of some 130 billion euros in bailout money. There’s also the possibility she could come up with some grand gesture of conciliation to polish her tarnished image among the Greeks. Whatever happens in the next few hours, though, it’s going to be an anxious time for everyone involved, from Mrs Merkel on down. Listen to this report from our Athens correspondent, John Carr: