Voice of America
European Union and International Monetary Fund officials said Tuesday that they are making “some progress” in discussions with Greece to save the cash-strapped country from bankruptcy.
Eurozone finance group leader Jeroen Dijsselbloem said that although progress is being made, a breakthrough for offering Greece extra help is “not a given” during an EU summit planned in Riga Thursday.
IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde confirmed that progress has been made in talks with Greece, but said that the IMF must also consider the views of the broader international community.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday in Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande said that discussions on the Greek financial crisis should speed up and produce an agreement by the end of May. They said they were prepared to meet with Greek President Alexis Tsipras this week on the sidelines of the Riga summit to tackle the issues face-to-face.
Greece’s new left-wing government is struggling to come up with a list of reforms demanded by international creditors, in order to obtain the final $8.1 billion installment of a $270-billion financial rescue package needed to avoid defaulting on debt payments due next month.
