Greek conservatives tie with leftists in opinion polls

Greece's power-sharing conservatives continue to draw the same levels of support as the anti-bailout leftist opposition, according to two polls on Saturday which showed two-thirds of Greeks feel the country is headed in the wrong direction.

A poll by VPRC for Syntakton newspaper showed support for Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's New Democracy party at 29.5 percent, tied with the leftist opposition SYRIZA party.

Another survey by Metron Analysis for weekly newspaper Ependytis showed support for New Democracy at 27.8 percent versus SYRIZA's 28 percent.

The conservatives had trailed SYRIZA for months after the June election, but a January 11 poll by Public Issue showed they had pulled broadly level with the leftist opposition for the first time in months.

"The three-party ruling coalition seems to be regaining ground after the Eurogroup's decision in December secured the disbursement of a bailout tranche," Ependytis newspaper said.

"But it still faces a public opinion majority of 64 percent which feels the country is headed in the wrong direction."

Greek ex-minister Papaconstantinou faces tax probe

Greek MPS have voted to launch a criminal investigation into ex-Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou.

He is accused of tampering with a list of suspected tax evaders with Swiss bank accounts.

Three of Mr Papaconstantinou's relatives were removed from the list. He has denied involvement.

But MPS voted against extending the probe to another ex-finance minister, Evangelos Venizelos, and former PMs Lucas Papademos and George Papandreou.

The scandal centres on a list of names, provided in 2010 to the Greek government by then French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, who is now head of the IMF.

The "Lagarde list", as it has become known, contained the names of over 2,000 Greeks who held Swiss bank accounts, and who may not have paid tax on all their income.

But the Pasok (Socialist Party) government of the time took no action and later claimed to have lost the list.

It later re-emerged, after a journalist published it, but the later version did not include Mr Papaconstantinou's relatives, reports say.

Greece not out of woods, must stick to reforms: finance minister

Greece not out of woods, must stick to reforms: finance minister -- Greece must resist internal political pressure to slow economic reforms in a year that will dictate whether it avoids bankruptcy, Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras told Reuters in an interview.

With EU partners starting to praise Greek efforts to exit its worst crisis in decades and some economic indicators showing fledgling signs of recovery, demands are increasing on the government to give up crippling austerity and reforms.

"What scares me is the big pressure from society, media and parliamentary deputies from all parties to ease the programme. We must resist ... it's too early to declare victory," he said from his office on Syntagma square overlooking parliament.

Stournaras, an economist recruited by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's conservative-led coalition after it won elections in June, said there were signs Greece was starting to exit the three-year debt crisis that shook the euro zone.

Money is returning to Greek banks, bond prices are rising and the 2013 primary budget will do better than the troika of international lenders predicted for the year, registering a 0.4 percent surplus, despite a crippling recession.

"The primary deficit is what we are judged on. The troika expects it at zero but we believe we will do slightly better," he said. "This means that there is a good chance our partners may further reduce our debt."