
The International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said in a letter to the Greek prime minister on Sunday that she believed that negotiations toward a new debt deal for Greece were still "a good distance away."
Lagarde's remarks came in response to a letter from Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who asked the IMF to clarify its stance on the debt deal negotiation. His concerns were based on recent report that an apparent leaked transcript suggested the IMF may threaten to pull out of Greece's bailout as a tactic to force European lenders to offer more debt relief.
"My view of the ongoing negotiations is that we are still a good distance away from having a coherent program that I can present to our Executive Board," said Lagarde in the letter.
"I have on many occasions stressed that we can only support a program that is credible and based on realistic assumptions, and that delivers on its objective of setting Greece on a path of robust growth while gradually restoring debt sustainability," said the IMF chief.
According to the letter, the IMF will allow its team to return to Athens to continue the discussions.
"The IMF conducts its negotiations in good faith, not by way of threats, and we do not communicate through leaks," said Lagarde, adding that she was releasing the letter to further enhance the transparency of the dialogue.
The IMF has worked with EU on two previous bailout plans for Greece since 2010, but insisted that Greece should take credible reforms and debt reliefs before the third bailout plan.
GMT 15:13 2018 Saturday ,20 January
US 'erred' in supporting WTO membership for China, RussiaGMT 17:22 2018 Thursday ,18 January
US industrial output in 2017 posts biggest gain since 2010GMT 17:12 2018 Thursday ,18 January
No more bonuses for Carillion bosses after UK collapseGMT 17:20 2018 Wednesday ,17 January
EU to remove Panama, South Korea from tax haven blacklistGMT 17:16 2018 Wednesday ,17 January
Citigroup reports steep Q4 losses tied to US tax reformGMT 17:11 2018 Wednesday ,17 January
Pressure rises on British govt over Carillion collapseGMT 17:52 2018 Monday ,15 January
Iran jetliner deal could take longer to complete, Airbus saysGMT 17:44 2018 Monday ,15 January
EU to remove Panama, Korea, UAE, 5 others from tax haven blacklist
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor