"The government is not distracted by criticism"

Papandreou sharply criticised main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Antonis Samaras, noting that the Memorandum signed with the EU and IMF was that of the policy followed by the preceding ND government.

The wager, the premier stressed, is for Greece to turn page, "and I don't see ND willing to help".

He also criticised ND former prime minister Costas Karamanlis of indifference to the international image of the country and the economy during his five years in office.

The premier charged that those who conduct "easy criticism" on television programs and "salons" have not realised what Greece has gone through and how difficult its position is.

On the other hand, "I considered it my patriotic duty to save the country and not to accept default without a fight", Papandreou said in reply to criticism from the Left that he is a "prime minister of limited liability".

Papandreou further criticised the Communist Party of Greece's (KKE) positions as being counter to the interests of the working people, the Greek society and the country itself.

"Those who wish to be called Leftists must reject dogmatism and maintain a position of responsibility," he added.

Reiterating that his predecessor in office, Karamanlis, never presented a clear picture of the reality, and charged that even two days before the last general elections the government had issued an official document that the deficit was only 6 percentage points of GDP instead of the actual 14 percent, which "he knew very well".

On the formation of new political parties, Papandreou opined that it was only natural at a time when the country was going through such a big crisis, and particularly when the positions of the existing parties were not clear-cut or responsible and were "fishing in muddy waters".

Opinion polls

Greece's ruling Socialists would be the biggest party with just 23.4 percent of the vote if an election were held now, according to a poll Saturday showing disenchantment with all parties amid deep austerity cuts.

The survey, by Kapa Research in Sunday's edition of the To Vima newspaper, showed Prime Minister George Papandreou's socialists ahead of the main opposition New Democracy conservative party on 15.6 percent.

A far larger 40.1 percent of voters were undecided in the poll of 1,002 people taken between June 30 and July 1.

The Socialists won power in October and elections are not due until 2013, but polls are a sign of government popularity amid deep cuts agreed in return for a 110 billion euro (88.5 billion pound) bailout from the European Union and the IMF.

On June 17, a survey by a different polling agency showed the Socialists on 28.1 percent of the vote and New Democracy on 20.1 percent.

The government has faced wide opposition to its austerity measures to deal with a debilitating debt crisis. Greece's economy is seen contracting by about 4.0 percent this year as a result of fiscal belt-tightening to slash deficits.

Public and private sector unions have called a national strike, the sixth joint stoppage this year, to coincide with a planned vote in parliament on a sweeping pension reform.

Sunday's To Vima poll showed that almost half of those asked thought that the reforms were necessary. Of those, 35.2 percent reckoned they were "necessary but unfair" and 14.2 percent called them "necessary and inevitable."