Whispers of a new … bailout agreement emerged late Tuesday after an earlier Eurogroup teleconference, with deliberations set to continue on Wednesday, a more-or-less positive sign amid an avalanche of bleak developments this week — surprise referendum, acrimonious exchanges between Athens and creditors, a week-long bank holiday and capital controls.
Reports circulating in Athens late Tuesday evening referred to a “strategic about-face” in favor a “yes” vote on Sunday or even the cancellation of the plebiscite, if a new bailout program emerged. Those reports were not refuted by the government.
From Malta, the country’s prime minister told lawmakers that the SYRIZA government would consider canceling the referendum, if certain conditions were met.
From Brussels, meanwhile, Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem, usually amongst the more austere European leaders vis-a-vis the “Greek issue”, said eurozone FinMins are awaiting a new proposal by Athens on Wednesday.
He warned, however, that conditions for a new program, the third bailout plan, would be … harsher.
The report comes on the heels of information that EU sources were quoted as saying that Greece’s radical leftists have tabled proposals close to those demanded by creditors.
Here’s how the Guardian reported the news:
