Merkel visits Greece after bond success

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Merkel visits Greece after bond success
The Associated Press
April 11, 2014 Updated 4 minutes ago

ATHENS, Greece — Police banned protests across most of central Athens on Friday as German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to pay a brief visit, a day after the crisis-hit country returned to international bond markets.

Unions and the left-wing main opposition party, Syriza, are backing protests planned outside the cordon, to be manned by some 5,000 police officers. Merkel has been among the most vocal supporters of the austerity measures that have helped heal Greece's public finances but proved painful for Greeks.

During a visit in 2012, the German chancellor had been greeted by mass anti-austerity protests that turned violent. Security this time was also tightened further after a powerful car bomb exploded early Thursday outside the Bank of Greece, causing damage but no injuries.

Merkel's visit comes as Greece this week reached a milestone in the recovery from its financial crisis — it successfully tapped bond markets for the first time since 2010, raising 3 billion euros ($4.14 billion) in five-year debt.