Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-05-28

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Government aims for a deal with partners by Sunday

[01] Government aims for a deal with partners by Sunday

The spokesman also suggested that statements by foreign officials saying they did not share the government's optimism that an agreement was close were "not always neutral with respect to the negotiations underway" and may even be a lever of pressure for concessions in the talks.

He stopped short, however, of terming such pressures on Greece "blackmail," saying that this was a tactic the government would neither accept nor employ.

Responding to statements by representatives of the institutions, who said that a lot of work remains to be done, Sakellaridis said the government was not drafting an agreement on its own:

"We are not talking about two different documents, we are talking about a common text of the Greek government with the institutions. It is time we wrote on paper the points we agree on," he said.

He said the government had submitted very realistic and specific proposals, on which the technical staff from the institutions had adopted positions, and that a constructive discussion was underway "that makes us optimistic that in a short space of time there will be a good outcome and an agreement."

Asked to comment on a European Central Bank (ECB) report claiming that the prospect of a Greek default was drawing near, he said that this was an outcome that all sides in the negotiations wanted to avoid and that the government was doing everything possible to ensure that such a scenario could not exist.

Sakellaridis also reassured that there is not the slightest reason for concern in relation to banks.

Regarding the Balkans' European perspective, he said that the Greek government has repeatedly stressed its importance. "Bodies imbued with other perceptions undermine this prospect," he stated.

He said that Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis enjoys the support of the prime minister, adding that the government along with the partners ensure that there is no possibility of default.

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