ATHENS: International creditors demanded Thursday that Greece propose economic reforms that could break the impasse in bailout talks.
Greece was unequivocally denied any possibility for a delay or a grace period to repay the International Monetary Fund, as finance ministers from the Eurozone and the heads of the IMF and European Central Bank prepare for a much anticipated crisis meeting in Luxembourg.
“…On that particular issue, timeline: 30th of June is the day when the lump sum payment is due to the IMF and there is no grace period or two-month delay, as I have seen here and there,” said IMF Managing Director Christine LaGarde.
Eurozone President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said Greece has to take “further steps” to obtain a lasting deal that “needs to hold up in the coming years to be credible.” Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, whose country is Greece’s main creditor, told German lawmakers in the parliament earlier Thursday that she was “still confident” a deal was possible.