George Papandreou, Greece’s prime minister, has implored parliament to back his new government as eurozone finance ministers prepared to seek agreement among themselves on the structure of a new €120bn ($172bn) bail-out for the beleaguered country.
Mr Papandreou appealed for cross-party support to tackle Greece’s financial crisis, warning that the country “will quickly run out of funds” if it is unable to draw down a €12bn loan tranche as expected next month.
He spoke as supporters of the “Indignant Citizens” movement encamped outside the parliament building were gathering to protest against a fresh austerity package agreed with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund in return for another loan.