PARIS (MNI) – Talks among Greek government officials, their EU
counterparts, the ECB and the IMF, originally scheduled for today, have
been postponed until Tuesday or Wednesday because of the disruption to
air traffic caused by the cloud of ash from an erupting Icelandic
volcano, the European Commission said Monday.
The discussions, a continuation of a dialogue among the four
parties that started in Brussels April 12-13, were planned to take place
in Athens, “but given flight restrictions, the discussions will resume
on Tuesday [April] 20, or at the latest on Wednesday [April] 21,” the
Commission said in a written statement.
A Commission spokesman said there was a preference for Tuesday if
air traffic allowed.
Greece’s Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou sent a letter
last Friday requesting talks with the ECB, IMF and European Commission
on the specifics of a contingency aid plan worth up to E45 billion in
the first year. The letter has been widely regarded as a prelude to a
Greek request for activation of the plan, although Papaconstantinou has
thus far said Greece hasn’t requested activation.
–Paris newsroom, +331=42=71-55-40; bwolfson@marketnews.com
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