ATHENS: The International Monetary fund denied a report that IMF officials view Greece as unhelpful country. Greece is locked in talks with the IMF and European creditors on a deal on economic reforms that would unlock €7.2 billion in aid. Greece needs the funding as it faces several major debt repayments in early April. William Murray IMF spokesman said “There is no basis in fact for that contention. No such remark was made. I wish they had checked with us before that story was published.”
IMF managing director Christine Lagarde had a “constructive” conversation Wednesday with Greece’s Prime Minister Alexi Tsipras, Murray said. “They had a constructive conversation that focused on next steps in taking forward the policy discussions related to the IMF’s continued support of Greece’s reform program,” Murray said.
On Wednesday, Greece’s central bank Governor Yannis Stournaras said in London that further debt relief was needed to boost economic growth. Stournaras said exiting the single currency union wasn’t an option for the Hellenic Republic.
