Greek PM expects early bailout exit
The Greek prime minister, Antonis Samaras, emerged from talks with the German chancellor on Tuesday saying Athens may soon no longer need international aid to keep its economy afloat.
“We need to become a normal country, and we’ve proved that we are reliable and we can stand on our own feet,” Samaras told reporters after meeting Angela Merkel in Berlin. “Greece will soon propose its own framework of reforms for the coming years.”
Lavish in her praise for Greece, Merkel said it was clear that the “first tender shoots of success” were visible after years of painful spending cuts.
But with a funding gap of about €12bn (£9.4bn) looming next year, Berlin refuses to rule out a third bailout. EU officials see financial help as the only way of exerting pressure on Greece to implement unpopular reforms. As part of efforts to wean itself off international support – and the corrosive effects of austerity that have been the price of aid – the Greek prime minister said he foresaw Athens exiting its bailout accord ahead of schedule. Rescue funds from the International Monetary Fund – one of three creditors invested in a €240bn financial support programme for Greece – would likely be suspended earlier than 2016 when they are due to expire.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/23/greek-pm-expects-early-bailout
