Nikos Pappas

Greek PM Alexis Tsipras might find some peace away from his inter-party squabbling, as he will be attending the official inauguration of the new Suez Canal scheduled for August 6 in Egypt.

Speaking to the Athens-based Star TV channel, Alternate FM Eucleid Tsakalotos, who now more-or-less heads up the Greek negotiating team, said “we’ll negotiate tomorrow a viable solution”.

Asked how such a solution will come about in 24 hours when five months have passed in fruitless talks, Tsakalotos referred to two new elements.

State Minister of the Greek government, Nikos Pappas said that the aim of the government was to reach an agreement with the country’s partners. He underlined that the question at stake in the Sunday referendum is whether the Greek citizens believe the memoranda implemented were a success story or a failure.

Greek State Minister Nikos Pappas, top aide to Radical left Coalition (SYRIZA) Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told journalists on Thursday that the banking system would return to normal “the minute we have a clear result.” Reuters reports that a deal with Greece’s international creditors (EC, ECB and IMF), will be reached soon after Sunday’s referendum.

Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) State Minister Nikos Pappas, one of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras closest associates, denied that the government was using the referendum as a ploy and would back down at the last minute. “The referendum will be held as scheduled,” he said during his address to parliament on Tuesday.

Two different VAT rates, with the highest one at 23%, as well as a cancelation of the Social Solidarity Benefit for Pensioners, are the terms included in the new proposal of lenders towards Greece. According to the same sources, the IMF sent a letter to Athens yesterday, describing the steps that need to be taken.

Top government and ruling SYRIZA party officials met in the Maximos Mansion on Wednesday in a much-anticipated session chaired by PM Alexis Tsipras, a day after his government presented and won conditional support of a tax-for- cash deal with institutional creditors.

AFP reports that the Greek government has accepted, in principle, an extension of the current bailout plan with its institutional creditors.

The news item has been disseminated as “urgent”, without any further details.

Pappas

By Theophilos Argitis, Eleni Chrepa & Antonis Galanopoulos

Greece's cabinet was locked in talks with the prime minister ahead of a meeting on Monday that will decide the nation's future in Europe's currency bloc.

Greece faces another critical week as eurozone finance ministers and leaders gather in Brussels on Monday for successive summits aimed at resolving deadlocked negotiations between the Greek government and its creditors that have fueled fears about a possible Greek default and exit from the eurozone.