European leaders cast doubt over eurozone meeting on Greece

European leaders have cast doubt on whether today’s meeting of eurozone finance ministers to discuss Greece’s latest economic reform proposals will result in a deal.
German finance ministry spokesman Frank Paul Weber declined to comment on reports that Wolfgang Schäuble, the German finance minister, regarded Greece’s proposals as inadequate and opposed further talks.
“The minister will this afternoon discuss with his eurozone colleagues the assessment of the institutions. The result of the discussion is completely open,” Weber said.


Lithuanian president, Dalia Grybauskaitė, put the chances of a deal at 50/50, saying Athens’s proposals are based on “outdated information” and “will have to be seriously corrected”. EU sources who asked not to be named also put the probability at no more than 50/50.
Finance ministers from the 19 countries that use the euro are gathering in Brussels today to discuss whether the latest set of Greek proposals are enough to start negotiations on a third bailout for the country.
Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, has proposed €13bn (£9bn) of austerity cuts – including plans for a pensions overhaul, tax hikes and privatisations – in return for €53bn of bailout funds from the European Central Bank over three years.
But late on Friday night the prime minister managed to win the backing of a majority of Greek MPs, with 251 of the 300 voting to give him the go-ahead.
Three senior government figures were among the nine MPs who abstained or voted against the deal and several others from the ruling Syriza party stayed away, prompting speculation of an imminent government shake-up.
Tsipiras told MPs: “We have a national duty to keep our people alive ... we will succeed not only in staying in Europe but in living as equal peers with dignity and pride.” He added that the loan deal entailed many proposals that were far from Syriza’s pledges, but that it was the best deal available.
Another summit on Sunday will include the leaders of all 28 EU members.

European council president, Donald Tusk, said that the meeting was the “last chance” for Greece and the EU to reach an agreement.
Failure to do so could lead to a Greek exit from the single European currency and the termination of any assistance from European Central Bank to Greek banks, which remain closed.

French president, François Hollande, called the Greek proposals “serious and credible”, while cautioning that “nothing is decided yet”. Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, said he was “more than optimistic”.
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