Paris negotiations: The two sides failed to reach an agreement

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras will meet on Thursday with Government Vice President and PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos at 10:00 at the Maximos mansion.

The two top officials will make a total review of the latest developments after the Greek delegation’s negotiations with the troika in Paris. The two sides failed to reach an agreement and the negotiations will continue in the following days through teleconferences.

According to government’s sources, Paris’ meeting did not reach an agreement mostly because IMF insisted on 2015’s fiscal gap. Possibly, IMF’s stance indicates its will to not leave from the Greek programme and from Europe, said the same sources.

The Greek government insists that the prior conditions will be covered without the need for more fiscal measures and referred to what happened in the last two years when there was also a disagreement but finally Greece reached its targets something certified by 2013 and 2014 primary surpluses.

The same sources said that the government will insist in order an agreement with Greece’s partners and lenders to be succeeded. An agreement that will not burden the Greek society and will not undermine the country’s economic growth however, this must be succeeded until the end of the year or before the presidential elections.

Moreover, the government takes into account the interior political condition and that whichever agreement should pass from the parliament. The delay raises concern in the parliamentary groups of the co-governance (New Democracy and PASOK) and a number of MPs do not rule out the possibility of unpredictable political developments. It is a common belief that the lenders do not follow their own commitments on the relief of the Greek debt. Deputies estimate that the troika does not only negotiate with the government but also sends messages to main opposition SYRIZA.