Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Friday the outline of a deal proposed by the country’s international creditors was “absurd” and called the proposal “irrational.”.
“The Greek government is not going to bend to irrational demands,” the Greek premier said during an address in Greece’s parliament, adding the creditors’ proposal was a “bad moment for Europe.”
These remarks come one day after Greece elected to defer a $300 million payment due to the International Monetary Fund until the end of June, a move that has rattled financial markets all around the world.
Greece’s international creditors held an urgently convened meeting in Berlin on Monday evening to narrow their own differences in the hopes of presenting Athens with a definitive offer that would break the long-running impasse. But the events of the last 48 hours indicate the two sides still remain far apart on several key points.
Tsipras repeated Friday that Greece’s counterproposal is the only viable solution. He has argued that creditors should instead accept a more lenient Greek counterproposal submitted this week. Among other things, he wants some form of debt relief, and less dramatic reforms to the country’s pension system.
European officials said the announcement surprised many senior officials from eurozone finance ministries who were holding a conference call when news of Greece’s decision broke.
“Nobody was expecting it,” an EU official said. “It was a political decision, not a technical decision.”
It “was not well received,” the official told The Wall Street Journal.
Opinion polls published on Friday show around three out of four Greeks want to remain in the euro zone. More want their government to accept the offer from European and International Monetary Fund creditors than want them rejected. But Tsipras, elected on promises to end austerity, was defiant.
“The strangulation of a country is a matter of moral order which conflicts with the founding principles of Europe,” Tsipras told the Greek Parliament, adding that the aim of any deal should be “for a solution and not to… humiliate a whole people”.
2 comments
Greece is a sovereign nation governed by an elected government which at this point is lead by SYRIZA. The cabinet that SYRIZA selected are capable professionals and know best what is good for Greece. Further they were elected based on commitments made to the voters and need to deliver on those commitments. Austerity measures have not worked during the eight years, and will never work, as a matter of fact they destroyed of what was left of the Greek weak economy. Europe CANNOT impose conditions they can only recommend, subsequently they need to accept what Alexis Tsipras and his technocrats are proposing in the hope that these measures will lighten the extra heavy burden that has been placed on the Greek population. Greeks should unite behind their government and insist with their proposed solution on a “take-it or leave-it” basis, and if that does not work accept the consequences. Further Germany for as far as I can remember (I was born during the German occupation) has avoided to pay not only the Katoxiko Danio but also reparations for the murders of thousands of civilians and extensive property damage throughout the Greek Nation, so the time has come to fess-up…
I am a Greek Canadian and my roots are in Samos and Athens. I visit as often as I can. As a Greek, I am PROUD of my ancestry. There is a lot of history that affects the whole world, when it comes to Greeks. I remember in the late 1980’s, when Mrs. Thatcher WARNED all of Europe, that the EURO would destroy Europe.
I am sure that the countries like Ireland, Portugal, Greece and Italy saw the Euro as a “coming together” of all countries, little or big…. into a safe and profitable endeavor. Everyone working together to make life easier and fairer for all. BUT…..as we now see, the only safe and profitable country is GERMANY. It must be nice to threaten, starve, lie and above all……KILL such cultures as Italy, Portugal, Ireland and of course Greece ……
I believe in my heart that al these countries SHOULD return to their old ways of life… Yes, it will be difficult. BUT, the restoration of humanity, logic, and everyday existence would outnumber the negatives. AND EUROPE would stand together, and stop being BULLIED by Germany.. Let us not forget WW2……Germany failed then!! They should FAIL now!!!!!! Europe is not theirs!!! Imagine if the EURO was put to sleep. What would Germany dooooooooo??
Mr. Tsipras……keep being a real Greek!!!! Return Greece to the Greeks!!!!