Sunday Times 2
New Greek Govt. steps up battle with creditors
View(s):ATHENS, Jan 31, (AFP) – Greece’s new government dramatically has escalated its battle with the country’s international creditors, saying it will no longer meet with EU and IMF auditors and rejecting fresh loans offered for February.
Athens had been promised another 7.2 billion euros ($8.1 billion) in funds from the European Union, the IMF and the European Central Bank if it completed reforms required by its lenders by February 28.
But despite warnings Greece would shortly run out of money, hardline Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said his government preferred to do without the new round of funds and instead renegotiate the entire bailout package.
“This government was elected on the basis of analytically questioning the very logic of the programme now being applied,” he said, referring to the reforms and budget cuts demanded by Athens’ international creditors.
“Our first act as government will not be to reject the logic of questioning this programme by requesting to extend it,” he told a press conference.