Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-06-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] White House urges Greece and lenders to close a deal quickly

[02] Varoufakis: Greece will not present new reform proposals at Eurogroup

[01] White House urges Greece and lenders to close a deal quickly

Asked on the course of the negotiations between Athens and the EU institutions, Earnest said that Washington is optimistic over a positive outcome because all partners participating in the negotiations are aware of the importance of reaching a deal.

"We have clear positions, namely that the Greek people have faced prolonged difficulties and have taken difficult but important steps to pave the way for a sustainable economic recovery. The Greek government and its international partners need to work quickly to finalize a credible reform program that can lay the groundwork for long-term growth within the eurozone," he underlined.

Asked to comment on US president's statement last week that the Greek people will have to proceed to tougher policy choices and that the burden will be borne by the Greek government, Earnest replied that both sides should engage in talks that will lead to a compromise deal. "We have stressed the importance for the Greek government to move forward on critical structural reforms. And I know that this is what Greece's creditors are waiting for. And I think, any final agreement will require a commitment on this basis. But ultimately this is something that all sides need to work on."

[02] Varoufakis: Greece will not present new reform proposals at Eurogroup

"It is one thing to negotiate with one institution and another thing to negotiate with three institutions that do not want the same thing," Varoufakis said at a SYRIZA event, in Heraklion, Crete.

The Greek Finance minister also said in a German newspaper interview that he is not planning to present new reform proposals at a Eurogroup meeting later this week. "No, because the Eurogroup (of euro zone finance ministers) is not the right place to present proposals which haven't been discussed and negotiated on a lower level before," he told Bild newspaper, according to Reuters news agency.

However, the Greek negotiation team is "available at any time" to find a comprehensive solution with its partners, Varoufakis said, adding that officials from the three institutions representing Greece's lenders needed to come back to the negotiation table "with a clear, robust mandate".

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