German Finance Ministry denies Friday’s meeting on Greek debt

Washington Group cancelled meeting

The German Finance Ministry denied reports by German newspaper “Süddeutsche Zeitung” that the Ministers of Finance of Germany, Italy, France and Spain had arranged to meet in Berlin on Friday to discuss the Greek debt with IMF officials. According to the German Finance Ministry’s spokesperson, Friederike vn Tiesenhausen, the meeting was postponed because it was decided that no emergency situation had arisen. According to Süddeutsche Zeitung’s report the “Washington Group” members, as the informal group has became known, was scheduled to take place on Friday in the presence of ECB and ESM representatives. Greece’s lenders are exploring ways to reach an agreement over the sustainability of the Greek debt and hammer out a compromise regarding the position of the IMF for lower primary surplus targets. Greek sources said that the meeting was not a surprise nor urgent, as the Washington Group discusses economic matters of the Eurozone, including the Greek issue. Meanwhile, the Greek government’s spokesperson stated that there was a possibility for to reach a deal within the December 5 EuroGroup deadline, adding that its success depended on strong political will on all sides.