LISBON, Dec 15 (Reuters) – Portugal needs to renegotiate its bailout package or risk social problems spinning out of control soon, a U.N. economist dealing with southern Europe told a local newspaper.
The Expresso weekly on Saturday cited Artur Baptista da Silva, coordinator of a group set up by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to monitor debt-ridden southern Europe, as saying Portugal’s bailout programme was yielding “very bad results” and some of its terms had to be changed.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) can confirm that Mr Artur Baptista da Silva, who has recently been quoted in media reports as a “UNDP spokesperson in Portugal” on economic issues related to Portugal and Southern Europe, is not, and has never been, a UNDP employee nor an authorized spokesperson for the global development organization. His views are his own and do not reflect the views of the organization.
UNDP is taking action to notify this individual that he is not entitled to speak on behalf of UNDP.
Clarification of alleged UNDP spokesperson in Portugal
UNDP
27 December 2012
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2012/12/27/clarification-of-alleged-undp-spokesperson-in-portugal/