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Friday, June 5, 2015

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says Greece and its creditors are closer to a deal than ever (GREK)

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is giving a speech to his parliament after this week's drama. If you're a Greek speaker or just want to watch the body language, there's a live link here. Here's what he's said so far: According to Sky's Ed Conway Tsipras has already said that the bailout proposals put on the table by Europe's institutions and the IMF this week were "extreme" and "cannot be accepted." According to BBC World News, Tsipras says Greece's demands are the "only realistic proposal." He says the government "cannot consent" to the "illogical" proposals made by the Troika. "Nobody wants to continue on this critical course." "We do not need an agreement. We need a solution. After five years we need a solution for Greece and Europe that will finish discussion of an exit." Greece's solution must not be based on "impossible targets" for reducing debt. Tsipras is calling out the opposition parties in parliament (primarily the centre-right former governing party New Democracy), asking whether they back the proposals from Greece's institutions. Tsipras added that "despite the large setback by the institutions, we are now closer than ever to an agreement." We'll keep you updated as more breaks. Tsipras rushed to Brussels earlier in the week for what seemed like last-minute negotiations ahead of a payment due to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday June 5. As it turns out the last minute has now been kicked down the road by three weeks — Greece is going to bundle the four payments it owes to the IMF this month, which run to €1.5 billion (£1.1 billion, $1.69 billion) in total. That way, the payment isn't due until June 30. This week Greece's creditors sent Athens a proposal for a deal, and Athens sent their own proposal to the creditor institutions.  In general it's not sounding good. After weeks expressing optimism about the state of the talks, it's becoming clear that there are major issues on which the two sides have made somewhere between little and no progress.Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This hidden subplot of 'Game of Thrones' spells out the real trouble for the Lannisters


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