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Sunday, 22 December 2024 | ||
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Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-03-13Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Cabinet to review summit decisions(ANA-MPA) -- Prime minister George Papandreou will chair an extraordinary Cabinet meeting on Sunday evening to review the decisions taken at Friday's informal eurogroup special summit.Eurogroup leaders decided to extend the repayment period for Greece's 110-billion-euro bailout by the European Commission (EC), European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund) to seven and a half years and reduction of the interest rate from 5.2 percent to 4.2 percent during an informal summit in Brussels on Friday.(ANA-MPA) The Greek government expressed satisfaction late Friday evening over a decision here by eurozone members to extend the repayment period for Greece's 110-billion-euro EC-ECB-IMF bailout to seven and a half years, as well as a reduction in the interest rate -- from 5.2 percent to 4.2 percent.(ANA-MPA) "Today's (Friday) decisions are clear proof that the efforts being made by the Greek government are being recognised," Prime Minister George Papandreou stressed after the end of an informal EU summit and a council of eurozone members, while also noting that Athens' seriousness and reliability in implementing a wide-ranging structual reform package "is paying off".(ANA-MPA) More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form [02] Debt buy-back, Memorandum change(ANA-MPA) -- Main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Antonis Samaras said on Saturday night that the right to buy back Greece's debt at a reduced price would be a "real easing" of the load for the Greek economy, given that the extension of the repayment period for Greece's 110 billion euro EU/IMF support loan and the reduction of the interest rate agreed by eurozone leaders in Brussels on Friday do not reduce the absolute size of the debt.Samaras was commenting on a decision by Eurogroup leaders to extend the repayment period for Greece's 110-billion-euro bailout by the European Commission (EC), European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund) to seven and a half years and reduction of the interest rate from 5.2 percent to 4.2 percent during an informal summit in Brussels on Friday.(ANA-MPA) "At the informal special summit, Greece achieved an extension for repayment of the 110 billion euros and a reduction in interest. The former (extension) had already been given to Greece by a decision of the eurogroup summit of November 28, while the latter (interest reduction) had already been clarified days ago in statements by European Commissioner Olli Rehn and other officials," Samaras pointed out, noting that ND had advanced both aspects systematically for some time in its contacts with European officials.(ANA-MPA) More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |