German chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly expressed outrage at the behaviour of Cyprus during an extraordinary meeting of the parliamentary faction of her Christian Democrats in the Bundestag.

According to reliable sources present at the meeting, she said Cyprus was "exhausting the patience of its euro partners" and she was particularly incensed that the government had failed to produce a "plan B". She also complained about the lack of communication from Nicosia.

On the streets of Cyprus, she is viewed as a hate figure, blamed for the bank deposit tax plan, even though the idea originally came from Nicosia, and for insisting that Cyprus should raise a third of the country's rescue fund itself. The effect of this at home has merely been to increase Merkel's support.

She knows that voters would never forgive her if she used their taxes to bail out banks that offer an offshore haven for the fortunes of Russian oligarchs. Images of Merkel as an SS guard or donning a Hitler moustache have appeared in Cyprus but one German government official said: "The old Nazi cliches are simply too easy to fall back on when someone's looking for an outlet for their anger".