BRUSSELS (MNI) – Officials from the European Commission, the
European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund in charge of
approving aid disbursements to Greece won’t visit Athens to prepare
their recommendations until a government has been formed, an IMF
spokesman confirmed Wednesday.
The members of the so-called troika, as the three institutions are
collectively known, had planned to visit Greece in May or June for its
quarterly review, but no firm date was ever set.
The Eurozone’s bailout fund, the European Financial Stability
Facility confirmed Wednesday evening that it will disburse a E5.2
billion tranche of aid agreed by Eurozone finance ministers in March
that Athens needs to repay international debts, but some Eurozone
governments are understood to be wary about making further payments
because some Greek politicians have called for a renegotiation of the
country’s rescue package.
The EFSF statement said E4.2 billion will be disbursed Thursday,
and the remaining E1.0 billion “are not needed before June and will be
disbursed depending on the financing needs of Greece.”
Greece faces the prospect of a second round of elections, possibly
June 17, because political parties are struggling to form a coalition
government.
In a vote over the weekend, Greece’s Socialist and New Democracy
parties, which support the programme of fiscal consolidation and
structural reforms demanded by Eurozone governments and the IMF in
return for aid, saw a large decline in support as voters flocked to
extremist parties on the left and right that are hostile to the tough
measures.
EU officials have called on Greece to honour the commitments made
by the outgoing government.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble speaking in Brussels
Wednesday said Greek voters were seeking irreconcilable aims by
supporting anti-bailout parties and saying in opinion polls that they
wanted Greece to remain in the Eurozone.
–Brussels newsroom: +324-9522-8374; pkoh@marketnews.com
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