US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton praised Greece on Sunday for pushing through economic reforms, dpa reported. Visiting Athens, Clinton met with Foreign Minister Stavros Lambrinidis and hailed the resoluteness of the Greek government. Clinton said the US strongly "supports the determination of the government ... to carry out the necessary reforms and get the country back on track." She said she was certain the reform package adopted by the Greek parliament at the end of last month would do good. Clinton, who later met with Prime Minister George Papandreou, added she was conscious of the sacrifices the Greek people were making. "Sometimes one has to take bitter medicine in order to battle serious illnesses," Clinton said of the austerity programme, which triggered violent street clashes between police and anti-government protesters. -- SPA
