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Sunday, 24 November 2024 | ||
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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-04-30Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Greece, euro-area partners target deal by early next week, says BloombergANA/MPA---Greece and its euro-area partners are stepping up talks in a bid to break an impasse over bailout aid as early as next week, even as the country's government sent conflicting signals over its willingness to agree on long-stalled reforms, according to Bloomberg news agency.A key factor in a potential breakthrough may be the decision by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to intervene and play a major role in the negotiations to help the process along. That gave the signal that his government may at last be willing to do what's needed to unlock the stalled bailout, Bloomberg noted. "There seems to be movement in translating the bullet points into action," Austrian Finance Minister Hans Joerg Schelling said in an interview in Vienna Wednesday ahead of the euro-area talks. "There is a clear recognition that we have to have enough on the 11th to be able to keep talking." [02] FinMin Varoufakis appears optimistic that the negotiation will be concluded successfullyANA/MPA---Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis on Thursday, speaking to parliament, said that the negotiation will be successfully concluded, the climate will calm down, and then we will be speaking of the post-June recovery."He also expressed optimism that after an agreement with the institutions is reached, Greece will return to the markets and will be in position to issue bonds within the framework of sustainable debt while the economy will get back on growth track. Varoufakis promised that the government will do everything possible to bring to light all those who make profit at the country's expense. He accused previous governments that they have accepted terms for the operations of the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund (HFSF) which deprive the Greek state from the sovereignty over its money and implied that the EFSF has not returned to Greece 1.2 billion euros. [03] EU Commission welcomes 'intensification' of talks with GreeceANA/MPA---The European Commission on Thursday expressed its satisfaction that talks between Greek authorities and the institutions representing the country's creditors had deepened and intensified.Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said that negotiations with the Brussels Group were being repeated on Thursday in Brussels in a "constructive spirit" and that the Commission expects to see progress. Schinas said the talks involved senior officials and technical experts on all sides, adding that the Commission "welcomes this step for deepening and intensifying the talks." The EU Commission's Annika Breidthardt, spokeswoman for European Commissioner for Economic Affairs Pierre Moscovici, again underlined the significance of the fact that the negotiators on the Greek side of the talks have clear instructions in the negotiations. Community sources said that the talks with the Brussels Group will continue without interruption until Sunday, with all issues on the table. According to the same sources, however, they don't share the optimism expressed in some press articles that a deal can realistically be reached by Sunday. Breidthardt said that talks will continue between the Greek side and the EU for the disbursement of a sum that could reach three billion euros within 2015 and which will come from unused funds of the previous National Strategic Reference Framework, adding that 200 million euros had been earmarked. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |