By Russell Lynch, Independent
Greece locked horns with its international creditors again yesterday in increasingly bad-tempered talks over bailout funds after Eurozone officials accused Athens of acting “like a taxi driver”.
German press reports said Eurozone officials were shocked at Greece’s stance in the talks over securing the €7.2bn (£5.2bn) funds needed to avert bankruptcy, simply “asking for money” in talks rather than setting out detailed reforms.
Syriza’s Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis – elected on an anti-austerity ticket – is under pressure to deliver credible savings.
EU vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis attempted to calm the mood, saying: “There is no secret that these negotiations are very complicated and there was also some relatively unhelpful rhetoric, but it’s clear that from the institutions’ side we are willing to work with the Greek government.”
The nation made a €458m payment to the International Monetary Fund last week, but this merely buys time. The Eurozone’s deputy finance ministers gave Athens six working days to come up with a list of reforms to unlock bailout cash before a full Eurogroup meeting of finance ministers on 24 April.
