A Guardian article citing alleged leaks between top IMF officials regarding the Greek program, most with negative connotations, led to a flurry of activity in Athens on Saturday, with phone calls – according to reports – the first reactions.
Greek PM Alexis Tsipras spoke by phone with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Parliament President Nikos Voutsis, two institutional leaders in the country.
Beyond the institutional communication, Tsipras was also expected to brief political leaders, while instructing another MEP belonging to his party to brief political groupings at the Euro parliament.
Tsipras is also apparently ready to immediately send off a letter to IMF head Christine Lagarde.
A wikileaks dispatch, as cited by the Guardian, reads:
The IMF would like to put debt relief for Greece on the Troika-agenda. However, IMF officials are worried that the EU is going to be paralyzed in the first half of 2016 because of the looming Brexit so that no decision is going to be made as to Greece. IMF Europe director Thomsen wants to pressure {German Chancellor Angela} Merkel and reiterate to her that IMF leaving the Troika is going to look bad and is going to lead to discomforting questions in the Bundestag. Thomsen connects the debt relief question loosely to the refugee question. He talks about the refugees and then says that the IMF will at the same time („we at the time say“) come in with their demands and approach Merkel with the debt relief. Background: Merkel is generally considered a proponent of the IMF participation in the Troika. She managed to get the IMF in despite bitter opposition by some European leaders like Sarkozy. Merkel is considered somewhat undecided on debt relief for Greece (though apparently leaning towards „no“ since she, like many of her European counterparts, fears creating a precedent in Europe.)
The document caused nerves to fray at the Maximos Mansion government headquarters in Athens, with the "unofficial" reaction being that the Fund’s top leadership is trying to blackmail Athens and its European institutional creditors.
A meeting was reportedly underway under Tsipras’ chairmanship, and with the presence of the relevant finance minister and foreign minister.
The leak is part of an alleged discussion during a teleconference between Poul Thomsen, the head of the IMF’s European department, and Delia Velculescu, the IMF mission chief for Greece.
