Greek Dep. Defence Min. Vitsas says country cannot accept IMF demands

Cites procedural and substantive reasons

Deputy Defence Minister Dimitris Vitsas said the IMF’s demand from Greece to pass the contingency package measures could not be accepted. Vitsas explained during a TV interview on Ant-1 TV, Wednesday morning, that the IMF’s request regarding the contingency measures could not be accepted due to reasons of substance and procedures. ‘You cannot legislate under conditions. The substantive reasons are tied into the procedural reasons, as you are shaping conditions in the economy that are unfavourable’, said Vitsas. Some international news sites picked up on Vitsas’s comments noting Greece had rejected the IMF conditions. A piece on abcnews.com titled ‘Greece rejects the contingency measures demanded by the IMF’ made mention of the immense pressure Greece and EU Finance Ministers are under in order to close a deal, pointing out that the impasse in talks between the country and its creditors have led to the release of money to Greece being delayed.