Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has reportedly said his country is prepared to accept conditions offered by lenders with only a few changes, according to the FT.The prominent newspaper cites a leaked copy of a letter Tsipras sent "late Tuesday night". The letter was sent out the the heads of the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund, and the European Central Bank. Copies are also sent to Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem and to European Stability Mechanism (ESM) Managing Director Klaus P. Regling.On Tuesday Greece requested a new, nearly EUR 29 B, bailout package from the ESM. However, Reuters quotes German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble as saying that there is no agreement between Greece and lenders so far and that an ESM bailout will have to come with new strings attached. He maintains no further talks should be held before the referendum takes place.Tsipras' proposal reads that Greece is ready to accept all but one of the proposed reforms in the value-added tax system, with the exception of a special 30% discount for Greek islands which Tsipras says should remain in place. Creditors have systematically resisted the exemption. A delayed timetable of the pension reform and of the new framework on labor markets is also requested. In defense, where spending makes up a significant part of the country's budget, Tsipras has surprisingly agreed to cuts worth EUR 400 M, demanded by lenders, instead of the EUR 200 M he previously insisted on.This comes as a Eurogroup meeting scheduled for Wednesday morning was postponed for a few hours. Got my hands on new @atsipras letter conceding on almost all points. QUick story here: http://t.co/VsdKLnWw8M pic.twitter.com/kHIVrvpOBi — Peter Spiegel (@SpiegelPeter) July 1, 2015 In the snapshot pasted above, Tsipras says the amendments "fully respect the robustness and credibility of the design of the overall program".This comes just less than 12 hours after Athens missed a debt payment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a few days before a planned referendum aimed at asking Greeks whether they accept or do not accept the bailout program.More to follow.
 |
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.novinite.com |
