Juncker on Greece
Yesterday, Juncker refused a phone call from Tsipras. Evidently he's upset that Greece missed a Thursday deadline to respond to an EU proposal.
By now, he should know that 'deadline' has a different meaning in Greece but, evidently, it also does in EU circles. Today he was asked when is the final deadline for a Greek deal, and said, "For sure there will be a deadline" without saying when.
He said that he still considers Tsipras a friend but "in order to remain friends one has to respect some minimum rules".
Adding to the comedy, he said that he 'ruled out' a Greek exit from the euro and in the same sentence said that doesn't mean he can pull a rabbit out of his hat to prevent it.
He also urged Greece to send alternative proposals quickly so they can be discussed this week in Brussels.
There's a bit of good news on Greece
The phone imbroglio might have sent markets in a bit of a tizzy on Monday but there is a report on RTRS, citing a Greek govt official, who says Greece wants to continue to negotiate at the political level.
