“I hope that the deal will come very soon, on June 18, when the Eurogroup takes place,” said State Minister Alekos Flabouraris on Greece’s national broadcaster ERT on Friday morning. Flabouraris, who is also a close aid to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, expressed confidence that Greece would stave off default at the end of June, when the bailout extension expires. The statement came in the aftermath of yet another impasse in negotiations between the Greek negotiating team and lenders’ representatives in Brussels. In fact, the differences between the two sides are so big that the International Monetary Fund group left the table on Thursday. The Greek team returned to Athens as well. IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said, “There are major differences between us in key areas. There has been no progress.” The Greek delegation led by Tsipras also returned from Brussels empty-handed after a two-hour meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. The European official advised Greece’s leader to expedite measures in order for Greece to complete the review that would lead to an agreement stressing the June 18 deadline, when the next Eurogroup is scheduled. The EC also rejected Greece’s proposal for a nine-month extension of the bailout program saying that there are no available funds for such a deal. Also, according to government sources, Tsipras said that Greece will not sign a deal that would not include a clearly-stated commitment on the part of lenders to restructure the Greek debt. Meanwhile, European Council President Donald Tusk warned Greece that the time for playing games was over. “There is no more time for gambling,” he said. “The day is coming, I’m afraid, that someone says the game is over.”
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