Tsipras ready to take responsibility for rejecting aid deal [Update]

 Parliament speaker refuses to accept report containing central banker warnings

By Marcus Bensasson & Nikos Chrysoloras

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said he?s ready to take responsibility for rejecting the terms of a deal on aid if creditors demands are unacceptable.

With a viable solution ?the Greek government recently elected by the Greek people will bear the cost of carrying through this difficult agreement,? Tsipras told reporters in Athens on Wednesday. Without one, ?we will assume the responsibility to say ?the big no? to a continuation of the catastrophic policies for Greece.?

Negotiations between Greece and its creditors are close to breakdown as finance ministers prepare to meet in Luxembourg on Thursday that has been billed by officials as a last chance to seal an agreement on as much as 7.2 billion euros ($8.1 billion) in bailout aid. With creditors despairing of finding a way forward, Greece?s central bank warned of the dire consequences that are looming.

The Athens Stock Exchange erased its gains after the prime minister?s comments, falling 1.5 percent at 3 p.m. in Athens, after dropping more than 9 percent over the previous two days. The index is on track for its lowest closing price since September 2012.

EU exit risk

?Striking an agreement with our partners is a historical imperative that we cannot afford to ignore,? Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras said in a report released Wednesday. ?Failure to reach an agreement would, on the contrary, mark the beginning of a painful course that would lead initially to a Greek default and ultimately to the country?s exit from the euro area and ?- most likely -? from the European Union.?

The speaker of the Greek parliament, Zoe Constantopoulou,...