Government spokesman confident of changes to bailout terms

The coalition government will attempt to convince troika officials, who were due to begin their inspection in Athens on Tuesday, that Greece must follow a “new path” to overcome its economic crisis, said government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou.

Speaking to Mega TV, Kedikoglou said Prime Minister Antonis Samaras had held constructive talks with his coalition partners, PASOK’s Evangelos Venizelos and Democratic Left’s Fotis Kouvelis, on Monday and that the government is ready to discuss possible changes to its bailout terms with the troika.

“We will present data that cannot be doubted, which will prove the dead-end we have been led to by the current policies, especially with regard to the recession and unemployment,” he said. “Using this data as our weapon and presenting our alternative proposals, we believe that we will succeed in a new path being approved.”

Kedikoglou said that the government will try to limit the number of further sacrifices that people have to make. “We are making every effort to ensure there won’t be any more sacrifices or job losses.”

The government spokesman said that the government will present its policy program in Parliament on Thursday or Friday.

Ekathimerini.com