Tsipras, who was elected for a four-year term in January, has managed to push unpopular austerity reforms through Parliament – the condition for Greece’s third bailout package in five years – thanks partly to support from pro-euro opposition parties.
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Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday attacked the inner-party opposition of ruling SYRIZA of seeking to manipulate the outcome of this month’s bailout referendum.
“Now some people are trying to manipulate [the result]”, he said.
The outspoken minister, long regarded by creditors as an obstacle to any deal, resigned a week later.
She said it’s up to members whether they’ll join with the party’s majority or “follow a different path”.
A spokeswoman at the European Commission, Mina Andreeva, claimed competitors in the organizations are “today previously on the floor in Athens and work is beginning quickly”.
Earlier yesterday, the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, which had organised a conference call between Mr Varoufakis and investors, released a recording of the conversation held between the former minister and financial professionals on July 16th. More than 30 Syriza members rebelled.
The mission chiefs of the EU, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund had last been in Greece in September.
Tsipras argued that the controversial July 5 referendum on the initial agreement creditors had proposed that Greek people rejected gave Greece “a commitment to debt relief”.
More controversial reforms, including phasing out early retirement and tax rises for farmers, have been pushed back until August.
“Being in power has a binding effect… and (dissenters) will not want to be held responsible for a break up”, he said, before adding: “But ideology and emotion remain strong forces in Greek politics”.
The main issues under negotiation are pension and labor reforms. “This is the message we are getting from society and we have to listen to it”.
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said late Monday that meetings in Athens had begun between Greek officials and negotiating teams representing creditors, with talks to intensify Tuesday, paving the way for higher level discussions possibly by the end of the week.
“In truth, the question is not whether Greek debt should be restructured, but how to do it so it really benefits the country’s economy“, he told French daily Le Monde.
“That’s why it’s important to make this restructuring, whatever form it takes, conditional on the application of measures that reinforce the economy and ensure the sustainability of Greek public finances”, he said. He called for more integration in order to take tough decisions effectively.
According to Greek press reports, the Mediterranean country’s creditors believe its gross national product will suffer a two to three percent loss this year.
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“My own position and insistence from the start was to promptly prepare Greece, first of all politically, for all outcomes – even for that of an exit from the eurozone, if it was met with a “wall” and demands for capitulation” he said.
