By Dimitris Hatzinikolas
Greek officials close to the prime minister’s office this week called discussions over a possible Greek debt relief a “difficult” and “multifaceted” endeavor, adding that two diametrically opposed views are in play among creditors and must be compromised.
The sources referred to statements by German FinMin Wolfgang Schauble, who has repeatedly said that debt relief is not imperative at present, on the one hand, and to the stated IMF position of threatening to stop lending to Greece if the country’s debt load is not reduced.
Nevertheless, the Greek side appears optimistic that Berlin’s objections can be ameliorated with an agreement over a “road map” of measures beginning after 2018, according to the same sources.
