Greece close to deal with lenders: PM
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipres says his government is in the final stage of sealing a deal with international lenders over a multi-billion-euro bailout aimed at settling the country’s debt crisis.
On Wednesday, Tsipras said reaching an agreement could end the uncertainty “on the future of Greece” in the eurozone.
“We are in the final stretch. Despite the difficulties we are facing, we hope this agreement can end uncertainty on the future of Greece,” Tsipras said.
Greek government spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili confirmed that Athens was near reaching an agreement.
"We are very confident that we are edging very close to a final draft,” Gerovasili said.
Meanwhile, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker also said reports he has received suggested that reaching a deal before August 20 was possible.
Athens must reach a deal with the so-called troika of international creditors - the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Central Bank (ECB), and the European Commission - by August 20 to unlock funds worth 86 billion euros (USD 93 billion), in order to repay some 3.4 billion euros (USD 3.7 billion) to the ECB.
The ECB on Wednesday confirmed it was preparing to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the country’s banks.
Last month, Tsipras agreed to harsh measures, including tax and pension reforms, in exchange for a bailout agreement, despite opposition by the Greek people.
Athens recently received a short-term loan of 7.16 billion euros (USD 7.77 billion) from the EU in return for reforms, which allowed the cash-strapped country to repay about two billion euros (USD 2.2 billion) of its debt to the IMF.
Greece has received two bailout packages worth a total of 240 billion euros (USD 272 billion) over the past five years.
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