Feature: Tsipras navigates between confrontation, conciliation at EP

The European Parliament (EP) witnessed an unprecedented debate on Wednesday in Strasbourg.

Debating the situation in Greece in the presence of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and senior representatives of European institutions, EP President Martin Schulz called the discussion "weighty" as it oscillated between conciliation, political divisions and vehement ideological clashes.

Tsipras entered the debating chamber to a mixture of loud applause punctuated by some booing. Rarely has a debate in the Parliament been as keenly followed, due, of course, to the gravity of the situation in Greece and the deadlocked negotiations after the ultimatum issued Tuesday by the European institutions.

But even if a clear majority of MEPs called for keeping Greece in the EU, concrete answers and mechanisms for ending the crisis were far from unanimous. Beyond the differences -- that partly transcended political affiliations -- and despite heated exchanges, Parliament at least endeavored to improve what has become a poisonous atmosphere around Greece's seemingly endless debt crisis.

"In this crisis, we must respect each other," said European Council President Donald Tusk to loud applause.

"We must pay our debts to others, and it is simply impossible to keep spending more than you earn. On Tuesday, we had a frank and honest exchange. We must now find a solution without losers, without winners, otherwise everyone is a loser. The insolvency of Greece would have consequences for the whole of Europe. Those who doubt that are naive," said Tusk.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that he agreed with "all those who say that we must return to the negotiating table."

"The response to the Greek crisis is not to do nothing, but instead to deepen economic and monetary union," he insisted.

"Europe must be democratic or it will be very difficult to survive the difficult times we are going through," warned Tsipras.

"Greece became a field trial for austerity, but we must now look reality in the face: it failed. Nowhere else has the policy of austerity been implemented so hard and for so long," he added.

"The current Greek government took office five and a half months ago. The bailouts started five years ago. The issues we face do not spring from just these past five months," he stated, defying critics who accused him of procrastination.

But Belgian Liberal group leader Guy Verhofstadt sharply criticized Tsipras, saying: "I am angry because you talk about reforms but we haven't yet seen the color of these reforms. We are running towards a Grexit and it is Greek citizens who will have to foot the bill, not us."

"In the next 48 hours, you have to submit a credible package of reforms, a roadmap, and a schedule," Verhofstadt continued.

Manfred Weber, chairman of the centre-right EPP group, was just as forceful, saying "I hope you will see reason. On the political front, we are continuing to fight you, (yet) you are not putting forward any concrete proposals."

"How can you tell Bulgaria in terms of solidarity that Greece cannot countenance further cuts, when in at least five other European countries the standard of living is lower than in Greece," he stated.

"You have not told the truth and yet extremists of left and right applaud you. It seems to me you are surrounding yourself with the wrong friends," he stated.

His compatriot Gabriele Zimmer, head of the far-left GUE/NGL group, retorted that MEPs "must stop showing arrogance and playing schoolmaster."

"We should assume our historical responsibilities. We are not in a cafe but at the European Parliament. Need I remind you that Germany didn't have to pay its debt for decades. In the London debt conference in 1953, a big part of its debt was cancelled. The way ahead is to get around a table to find solutions which are sustainable and will last. We must respect the people in Greece and the decision taken on Sunday," she said.

From the far-right French MEP Marine Le Pen "welcomed the outcome of the Greek referendum because it marks the return to policy in its best sense."

The EU is in a state of clinical death, she asserted.

"The euro and austerity are conjoined twins. I believe this is the first time in history that a central bank has created from scratch an artificial debt. Greece must get out of this euro vice-hold which is strangling the southern countries," she said.

In a similar vein, British MEP Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, advised Greece to "have the courage to leave the euro."

"The EU, deeply divided between North and South, is dying," he claimed. "The people realize that they were never properly consulted."

On the other hand, Socialists and Democrats leader Gianni Pittella believed there was hope.

"I think the conditions are right for a deal this week. We are Socialists, we will never accept a Grexit. For us, Europe does not exist without Greece. Without her in the euro area, Europe would not be the same," he said, adding "It would also be fair to discuss debt rescheduling. We need a European conference on the issue of debt and its mutualization."

Tsipras responded: "What we used to call the Greek crisis is actually a European crisis; our inability to find a solution to the debt. We want to reach an honorable compromise. We are all aware of the issues and we are all ready to assume our responsibilities." Endit