This sure doesn't read as a positive considering the referendum. The election. The election promises. The tough talk. The heartfelt talk. Etc., 12:35 a.m.
In a speech with a strongly personal tone, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says he negotiated as hard as he could and admits his government had made mistakes during his barely six-month tenure as he fought to win bailout funds for his debt-ridden country.Speaking in a late-night parliament session, Tsipras described the last few months as a war in which difficult battles were fought and some were lost. "Now I have the feeling we've reached the demarked line. From here on there is a minefield," he said.
He added that he doesn't have the right to hide from the Greek people that the measures Greece must take are far from his left-wing party's pre-election pledges.
But he insisted the latest proposal contains measures that would help the economy and, if approved by Greece's creditors, would unlock sufficient financing for the country to emerge from its protracted crisis and see its massive debt tackled. The measures include tax hikes and spending cuts very similar to ones Greeks rejected in a referendum last Sunday, but the reforms would bring a far larger aid package over a longer period of time.
10:10 p.m.
Greece's former finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, says family obligations will keep him away from Friday night's parliament session to debate the government's proposed reforms in return for a third bailout.
8:10 p.m.
Greece's new finance minister claims his country will win better terms for a bailout deal after calling a referendum, despite angering creditor countries.In his first speech in parliament since becoming minister, Euclid Tsakalotos argued that the new proposed cuts are more socially fair than those in a previous draft agreement.He told lawmakers: "I think after the referendum we are in a stronger position."The proposed deal, he said, would provide three years of financing with repayments spaced more evenly than under previous bailouts. He said there was also growing consensus for the need for a long-term debt relief agreement by 2022, when interest payments are set to surge.He added: "I think most of what we are asking for on debt relief is going to happen."
ATHENS, Greece — Left-wing Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras sought his party’s backing for a harsh new austerity package Friday to keep his country in the euro — less than a week after urging Greeks to reject milder cuts in a referendum.
" less than a week after urging Greeks to reject milder cuts in a referendum"
Government ministers signed off on the sweeping new measures — likely to extend the recession after six years of painful decline — that include pension cuts and tax hikes. In exchange, Greece wants a three-year financial support program worth nearly $60 billion and some form of debt relief.
The measures were sent to rescue creditors who will meet this weekend to decide whether to approve them. The proposed new bailout would be Greece’s third since it lost access to financing from bond markets in 2010.
In an unusual procedure, Tsipras is first seeking authorization from parliament to negotiate with the creditors based on the proposal in a vote Friday. He is essentially asking his Syriza party to sign off on the U-turn despite more than 60 percent of voters opposing more austerity in the July 5 referendum.
The coalition government has 162 seats in the 300-member parliament and pledged backing on a deal from a large section of opposition lawmakers. But failure to deliver votes from his own government would likely topple his coalition.