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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-04-28Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] No additional measures will be requested from Greece, according to European officialsFollowing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' telephone conversation with European Council President Donald Tusk and his warning that if a Eurogroup meeting is not held, e will request a Eurozone summit meeting, there was a spurt of activity in Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin, according to ANA-MPA's exclusive information by European officials on Thursday.Tusk started a marathon of consultations with Germany reacting negatively to a possible Council meeting and France stating it will support Tsipras' proposal if there's no positive development soon with a Eurogroup. European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, reassured Tsipras in a phone conversation on Wednesday evening saying he will take initiatives so that a Eurogroup meeting is held soon and that it includes talks on debt relief. Considering debt talks need time to prepare, Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem is considering calling for a meeting on May 9 or 10, to allow for consultations, according to ANA-MPA information. Dijsselbloem may also invite the French, German and Greek finance ministers, as well as the heads of the three institutions, Mario Draghi (ECB), Jean-Claude Juncker (EC) and Christine Lagarde (IMF), so as to achieve an agreement ahead of the Eurogroup. The Greek premier's request for a European Council meeting remains at the table as a safety measure in case the Eurogroup meeting doesn't produce any results. In this case, a summit will be called for May 14 or 15. [02] Greece is close to a deal with its lenders, says central bankerAn agreement between Greece and its international lenders is a matter of days, Bank of Greece governor Yiannis Stournaras said on Thursday, in comments made to public broadcaster ERT.He said that according to information he receives, "we're very close [to a deal] and it is a matter of days now." Commenting on the contingency measures requested by the institutions to close the program review, he said they are only demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "These measures exist solely because the IMF demands them. I understand the other three are not requesting them; neither the ECB nor the European Commission, or the ESM. It's an issue raised by the IMF," he was quoted as saying. "Beyond this, since this mechanism has been accepted by the Greek side, it is a detail that still remains to be clarified," he added. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |