While technical discussions in Brussels between Greece and creditors show more signs of convergence on previously thorny issues, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will have a teleconference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on Sunday evening in order to seek political aid to expedite an agreement. If negotiations on a technical level come to a positive completion and there is a staff level agreement, then the three country leaders will meet in person to seal the deal on a political level. The Greek government is willing to make concessions to complete the deal, Interior Minister Nikos Voutsis said on Greek television on Friday. Meanwhile, according to a Deutsche Welle report, it is likely that an agreement can be reached as early as next week. The report said that the German chancellery is determined to expedite the solution to the Greek debt problem. However, Elena Panaritis’ appointment as Greece’s representative in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has caused an uproar within SYRIZA. Panaritis was a PASOK MP when Greece had signed the first Memorandum. She was appointed by Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and his decision generated a lot of negative comments within the party. Also, SYRIZA members who belong to the so-called Left Platform do not view favorably the prospect of a deal with compromises. They insist that the government should stick to its pre-election agenda and pledges to the Greek people. Varoufakis: I am not going to resign Varoufakis received a lot of harsh criticism for Panaritis’ appointment as Greece’s representative to the IMF. The Finance Minister had a meting with Tsipras on Sunday afternoon but no comments were made after the meeting. Earlier on Sunday, Varoufakis rebuffed rumors that he is intending to resign. “Rumours of my impending resignation are (for the umpteenth time) grossly premature…” he tweeted. When asked by a follower if the key word to his statement was “premature,” he replied with “In the long run we are all dead.” J.M.Keynes. (In the medium run, those nostalgic of the troika days are stuck with me @FinMin.”
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