The final hurdle Greece had to clear before talks could restart came early Thursday when Greek lawmakers approved creditor-demanded judicial and banking reforms.
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The delay, she said, is related to “technical issues” and that the security of negotiators isn’t a problem.
“Several options are on the table”, the official said, without giving more details.
Negotiators are now expected to arrive in Athens over the weekend with talks probably starting Monday, Greek officials said.
The European commission wants a deal to be reached on a bailout programme by the second half of August when Greece must honour a €3.4bn debt repayment to the ECB.
The night he was elected prime minister, a jubilant Alexis Tsipras declared the troika “a thing of the past”.
While the official start of the bailout talks was being awaited, top banking and finance ministry officials met with business leaders Friday to discuss ways of easing financial transactions following the imposition of capital controls last month.
The government sources said that Athens is aiming to conclude this round of talks by August 12, when the bailout terms require approval from the Eurogroup of finance ministers.
(ShareCast News) – Greece’s negotiations with creditors over a third bailout have been put on ice reportedly due to security concerns.
Now Parliament has passed the so-called prior actions, negotiations will take place on a final memorandum of understanding to unlock the first loans from the new program.
In a sign of how the goal of coming to grips with the country’s debt is swiftly sliding even further away, Greece’s most influential think tank predicted a sharp drop back into recession.
The Greek government, which is seeking a three-year bailout worth up to €86 billion (RM360.4 billion) to avert financial meltdown and a chaotic exit from the eurozone, had initially planned to go without fresh help from the International Monetary Fund as it considers the agency too wedded to draconian austerity measures.
The IMF’s spokesman Gerry Rice said Thursday the fund’s participation in the new bailout is contingent on a balanced approach that includes both Greek reforms and a commitment to the required financing.
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Greece Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said that Greece had already formally requested a new three-year loan from the eurozone’s bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism. “We look forward to continued cooperation with the Fund”.
