Greece: Tsipras provokes the euro countries – SPIEGEL ONLINE

Little time? At the end of the text’s a summary.

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It is the latest in a series of provocations from Athens: “If no money is flowing to 9 April,” announced the Greek Interior Minister Nikos Voutsis told Der Spiegel in , would be questioned whether his country (IMF) will repay 450 million euros to the International Monetary Fund. Only you will be transferred salaries, pensions to the population, then negotiate a shift in the rate. For his country had money only until mid-April. Voutsis is one of the closest associates of Premier Alexis Tsipras in his cabinet. It belongs to the Athenians cacophony that the Greek government spokesman Gabriel Sakellaridis, also a Tsipras confidant, his own interior minister disagrees: “The probability that Greece does not fulfill its obligations to the IMF on April 9, is zero,” he told SPIEGEL ONLINE.

If the donors one is shocked by the new threat of Athens: “That would be very, very badly received,” says a representative of the institutions (formerly called Troika), which currently reviewing finances of Greece. The preferred service its loans is a prime requirement in order for the IMF a country’s bailout fund.

With his threat, the Interior Minister apparently wants to get some of the money directly, have offered in exchange for reforms, the other euro countries Greece.

• the one hand, 1.2 billion euros, which believes the Greek government to have transferred in February mistakenly its bank rescue fund HFSF to the European stabilization fund EFSF.
• On the other hand, 1.9 billion euros, incurred by a past purchase program of Greek government bonds by the ECB and now also lie with the EFSF.

“It has more meat on the bones”

The fact that this happens, but it is almost impossible from today’s perspective. In both financial pots the euro finance ministers would approve the payment, at the 1.2 billion euros in addition to the Bundestag and other national parliaments. And everywhere you will only see Athens reforms.

But make negotiations with the other euro countries on Greek reform list is extremely tough. In Brussels, you mistrust the numbers hoped the government budgeted revenues of its reform measures, some of the proposals are also completely vague. “There must be more meat to the bones,” says a representative of the donors

Increasingly, it seems that the Greek government and its creditors live in different worlds. “In the negotiations with the institutions similarities have been found “says Tsipras’ spokesman Gabriel Sakellaridis SPIEGEL ONLINE. “In the coming days we will clarify details and soon reach a positive conclusion already at the level of finance.”

Tsipras could threaten to blockade of Russia sanctions

But a conference call the Financial Secretaries of States euros on Wednesday afternoon passed without decisions to end. “If it continues at this rate, the nothing” fears a representative institutions. Continue to receive the inspectors verify the Greek Finance in Athens, unable to fully access ministries and officials, although Tsipras the German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) had agreed at their meeting last Monday.

Offset meeting of the Euro finance ministers, who would release the auxiliary billion to Greece, so moves further and further away. Until the next regular meeting of the Euro Group on 24 April in Riga Greece should already be out of money.

Nervous observed in Brussels therefore Tsipras’ blatant flirtation with Moscow. Some diplomats fear the Greeks Premier could be anything as leverage pretty soon – a division of the Union sanctions against Russia.

In an interview with the Russian news agency Tass Tsipras called the EU sanctions against Russia “pointless” and threatened resistance to their forthcoming in June extension to. The EU Council President Donald Tusk he had called on the EU summit two weeks ago, not to be considered consent of Greece in sanctions question as given.

Tusk, according to its environment, could be not recall such a conversation. In any case, must the sanction decision of the summit, the Greek government has also supported, be extended again in June. Until then, the Greeks could use its veto against Russia sanctions as a weapon to make it easier to get more aid billion.

So it sounds almost beschwörerisch what EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici says the Portuguese newspaper “Diário de Notícias” on the subject: “It is clear that Russia is not an option for Greece”. It is hoped that the Athens also looks so

To summarize:. falter Negotiations between Greece and its lenders. At the same time provokes Athens with the threat of an IMF loan in due time to use. His veto against Russia sanctions could put the government of Prime Minister Tsipras as leverage against their creditors.