[Flame Of Liberty]

Indebted Greece still faces arms purchases
Debt-ridden Greece still under pressure to keep buying military equipment

Greece funnels billions of euros (dollars) into its military, spending more of its gross domestic product -- 2.8 percent in 2008 -- on it than any other European Union country, and second only in NATO to the United States. Turkey, by comparison according to the most recent NATO figures available, spent 1.8 percent of its GDP on military expenditure in 2008.

French European parliament member Daniel Cohn-Bendit was even blunter, accusing the leaders of France and Germany of obliging Greece to maintain arms sales negotiations with their countries before agreeing to financial aid.

"For the past three months, there were several billions in arms contracts that we forced Greece to confirm: French frigates ... helicopters, airplanes, German submarines. It's hypocrisy," Cohn-Bendit said at a news conference in Paris earlier this month.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Indebt...30960.html?x=0