Wiretapping: The decade-long investigation, the terms of PASOK and the anticipation of SYRIZA

By Niki Zorba

The coming week is rich in parliamentary events that produce policy for the next – long – period. It also marks the early end of the traditional summer raston, which was not confirmed this August either. (Last year it was blown up by the fires).

The brawl of the political leaders in the Parliament (Mitsotakis-Tsipras to be precise since Nikos Androulakis will not participate), the meeting of the Institutions committee and above all, the inquiry committee which is just around the corner, with different strategies and purposes between the government and opposition, will seal the developments.

Bring the data

In the government leaks that Maximou wants the Commission of Inquiry that will examine the operation of the National Security Agency in connection with the wiretapping revelations, to extend over a decade – effectively including PASOK-ND, SYRIZA is certainly opposite with accusations against the Government for trying to cover up, offset, disorient, etc.

In this case, PASOK, understandably, is the protagonist of the case having requested the establishment of a commission of inquiry for the “legal connection” to Nikos Androulakis and is preparing its proposal. Koumoundourou has made it clear that she will support PASOK’s proposal. Harilaou Trikoupi, however, how does she react to the information for the proposal of the majority regarding the examination of the operation of the EYP not only in the current three years but ten years back?

The secretary of PASOK-KINAL’s K.O., was appointed yesterday (Mega), describing the “terms” of the party:

“ND leaks that it will extend the time retroactively to check if similar surveillances happened in the past. As long as the Government has data, it must submit it to the Institutions Committeeand Transparency of the Parliament. Political pirouettes to escape from the real ground, we will not allow”, was her characteristic reference.

Harilaou Trikoupi, as was seen from the statements of the secretary of her K.O., also gives intra-party dimension in the issue of surveillance for the governing factiontaking care to remind who the ND’s proposal concerns if the investigation investigates the actions of the EYP over a decade:

“He should bring all the evidence if he has it for SYRIZA ANEL and for the Samaras government, when the Ministry of Public Order and Mr. Dendias were in charge and for all those who must be checked,” the mot a mot statement of Ms. Liakoulis.

SYRIZA with an eye on the battle of the Parliament

Koumoundourou is monitoring the developments and is waiting for the climate for wiretapping to take shape definitively (?), up to the holding of the pre-day debate in the Parliament, which was called by the president of SYRIZA and is scheduled for August 24 or 25.

Moreover, Mr. Tsipras is moving cautiously in this case as far as his political neighbor, PASOK, is concerned. He does not seem to be in a hurry to insert a “wedge” into the Maximos-Androulakis quarrel, on the contrary, he is enjoying the increasingly deep rift between the two parties who were alleged (although PASOK disputed this from the beginning) to be potential post-election allies.

The decisions on how to proceed in view of the next politically hot week will be taken in Koumoundourou at a meeting of the executive office of SYRIZA. In general, Alexis Tsipras and his close staff will meet soon.