Greece must give up control of its privatisation programme and allow an independent organisation to take over the sale of state assets, finance minister Jan Kees de Jager told a meeting of his European colleagues in Brussels on Monday evening.

Greek prime minister George Papandreou promised in March to sell €50bn in state assets in return for loan guarantees from the IMF and the EU to prop up its ailing economy. However, Internal dissension in the Greek government and resistance from the trade unions have stopped any progress.
De Jager says he is fed up with the lack of action and that Greek assets should be seized as collatoral for the loan and sold by an independent EU organisation, reports news agency ANP.