Wednesday, November 21, 2012

A marathon Eurogroup meeting with the International Monetary Fund ended earlier this morning after 12 hours of intense deliberations, without reaching a final decision over the disbursement of the much-expected tranche of Greece’s bailout loan and the sustainability of its public debt until 2020.

In a statement issued, following the meeting, by Eurogroup president Jean-Claude Juncker, the Eurogroup acknowledged the steps taken by Greece to meet its programme targets but stated that it will reconvene on November 26, in order to conclude further technical work on certain elements of the package pertinent to the sustainability of the Greek debt.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who leaves today for Brussels to attend a European Council meeting, said in a statement after the Eurogroup , that Greece abode by its commitments and "it is our partners now, that have a duty to meet the responsibilities they have assumed.'' "It is not just Greece but the whole of the eurozone that depends on our partners’ decisions," stressed the Premier. "No procrastination can be permitted," he added.