IMF Chief to attend Eurogroup on Greece; maybe ECB President too

IMF Chief C. Lagarde and ECB Chief M. Draghi to be present at the emergency Eurogroup meeting on Greece

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde is to meet Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis for the first time face-to-face on Wednesday during the emergency Eurogroup meeting being held to discuss the future of the Greek program. There is a strong possibility that European Central Bank President Mario Draghi may also be present at this meeting.

Lagarde’s presence serves to confirm that interest on Greek debt is escalating.

An internal Finance Ministry meeting with Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis at the helm may take place on Saturday afternoon with the presence of Alternate Finance Minister Nadia Valavani and Alternate Minister of Revenue, Dimitris Mardas, as well as other ministry officials. The purpose of this meeting is to prepare Greek positions to be presented by the Greek government on Sunday.

Sources state that Varoufakis will address Parliament on Monday, shortly before putting the final touches on his “bridging deal” proposal to be presented at the Eurogroup on Wednesday as an alternative to the bailout extension following the expiration date for the current bailout on February 28.