The Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and the government Vice President Evangelos Venizelos will meet on Wednesday afternoon in order to plan their response to the creditor negotiators.
The two leaders believe that the delays are primarily attributed to political issues, rather than technical, since the troika is beginning to dispute everything, from the quality of the stress tests to the funds Greek banks will require for recapitalization. Mr. Samaras will try to take initiatives in order to complete negotiations that would release the next loan installment as soon as possible, after having missed the deadlines for the Eurogroup scheduled for the 10th of March.
Yesterday evening’s meeting with the Minister of Finances Yannis Stournaras and his close associates Lazaridis and Papastavrou indicate the extent of concern regarding the negotiations with the troika. The hope is that a deal will be struck, even at the last moment, three months before the European elections.
With uncertainty running rife, the government wants to secure a public confirmation of the minimal progress that is being achieved in the ongoing negotiations. To that end Mr. Samaras will visit German Chancellor
in Dublin, the president of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barosso and, if needed, with the IMF’s general director Christine Lagarde.
