Greece's debt inspectors back amid austerity anger

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Inspectors from Greece's bailout creditors have restarted talks on spending reforms that the government is resisting, with Greek officials ruling out any further blanket wage and pension cuts, and accusing the negotiators of adopting a "punitive approach."

The officials from the "troika" of the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund will, start high-level meetings Tuesday. The sides are at odds over the size of a 2014 budget gap and whether a plan to cover it will require more austerity measures.

EU Commission spokesman Simon O'Connor said the troika's schedule was finalized after Greece sent 2014 budget data to the EU late Friday.

"This was information largely related to fiscal issues, to the closure of the fiscal gap for 2014, but also to other elements of the (bailout) program conditionality," he told reporters in Brussels.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GREECE_FINANCIAL_CRISIS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-11-04-17-56-34

[blkmusclmachine]

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[jmowreader]

2. It's good the Greeks are finally resisting

Austerity hasn't worked the last forty-seven times it was imposed on Greece; what makes them think it's going to work now?