AFP, Athens :
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Saturday warned the International Monetary Fund and EU economic powerhouse Germany to stop playing with fire over his country’s debt problems.
Opening a meeting of his far-left Syriza party, Tsipras said he was confident a solution over repayments would be found, despite talks between Greece and its creditors ending in Brussels with no breakthrough on Friday.
Months of feuding with the IMF has rattled markets and raised fears of a new debt crisis, with Athens resisting pressure to cut public services any more than has already been agreed with creditors.
The Greek premier urged a change of course from the IMF. “We expect as soon as possible that the IMF revise its forecast.. so that discussions can continue at the technical level,” he said. And referring to Germany’s Wolfgang Schaeuble, Tsipras called for Chancellor Angela Merkel to “encourage her finance minister to end his permanent aggressiveness” towards Greece and “stop playing with fire”.
“The IMF is playing a game of poker by dragging things aside because it does not want to blame the intransigence of the German minister,” Tsipras said, criticising the “new absurd demands” targeted at Greece.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Saturday warned the International Monetary Fund and EU economic powerhouse Germany to stop playing with fire over his country’s debt problems.
Opening a meeting of his far-left Syriza party, Tsipras said he was confident a solution over repayments would be found, despite talks between Greece and its creditors ending in Brussels with no breakthrough on Friday.
Months of feuding with the IMF has rattled markets and raised fears of a new debt crisis, with Athens resisting pressure to cut public services any more than has already been agreed with creditors.
The Greek premier urged a change of course from the IMF. “We expect as soon as possible that the IMF revise its forecast.. so that discussions can continue at the technical level,” he said. And referring to Germany’s Wolfgang Schaeuble, Tsipras called for Chancellor Angela Merkel to “encourage her finance minister to end his permanent aggressiveness” towards Greece and “stop playing with fire”.
“The IMF is playing a game of poker by dragging things aside because it does not want to blame the intransigence of the German minister,” Tsipras said, criticising the “new absurd demands” targeted at Greece.
