On the one hand, IMF Chief Christine Lagarde sends a representative of the IMF – Delia Velculescu to Greece and invites Athens to trust the values of the agreement and to support these changes, on the other hand the Prime minister invites his ministers to handle ‘existence’ issues in SYRIZA, and looks at the numbers game of the internal factions within the Party.
Tackling both issues and pursuing with business in both of these fields with the line that needs to be drawn, is what Alexis Tsipras and Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos have decided to do at the Maximos Megaron
It is believed that the government will ‘stand with’ the Committee of Economic Policy – that reflects ‘political realism-without any changes expected’ of not implementing any further measures until the agreement has been signed.
However, the economic-policy group to attend the negotiations with the IMF are Deputy Prime Minister Giannis Dragasakis. Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism Minister Stathakis, Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy Panos Skourletis and SYRIZA General Secretary Spyros Sagias are apparently concerned with the stand that will be held with the ‘policies’ that are expected next week when the cards are laid on the table by their IMF counterparts at negotiations.
The Greek group believe that some delays might occur with Velculescu’s arrival, until the two-counterpart ‘groups thrash it out’ in the corridors with hot issues such as the ‘deflation ‘ of the public servant sector, the privatization , salaries and pensions.
Though the flow of things seem to unfold with an air of tranquility , the eco-policy group behind closed doors does not seem to be monitoring the state of the Greek Economy , but according to sources, they are trying ‘evaluate’ the government’s stand within Greece, before the ‘games begin’ at the negotiating table.
The Greek ‘eco-pol group’ will be evaluation 5 ‘sizzelin’ hot issues’:
*The privatization and the ‘ future’ of the Independent Power Transmission Operator (ADMHE)
*Taxation and the economical state of the recession, the surplus index and the need to pay the public servants.
*The recapitalization of banks and the so-called non-serviceable ‘red’ loans.
*Opening markets and ‘closed professions’ that don’t have VAT and are privy to licensing exclusivity eg. chemists, beauticians, taxi drivers etc.
*Salaries and pensions.
All these issues act as a ‘red-cloak’ in the ‘internal- opposition’ of Syriza. Even though negotiations amongst themselves are better that originally expected, everyone knows everything will wind down by the end of Friday and Saturday. This is the reason why Velculescu is ‘ taking her time’ arriving on Thursday (or maybe she might come on Friday), considering the role she is to play is to hear the results of all the delegating parties and to instigate hard negotiation before the signing of the agreement between the IMF and Greece, with regards the second stage of the measures agreed for this year.
