The Greek government denies allegations that Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis was sidelined from Greece’s negotiation team after the suggestion of Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsellbloem.
Speaking to RTL Nieuws on Dutch television, Dijsellbloem spoke extensively about the Greek issue among other things and said that the reforms are a complicated issue that requires the participation of other ministries such as economy, energy, environment, interior, justice ministries. “I suggested that it would help if there was a representative who would talk directly to the prime minister. We agreed on that last weekend,” he said.
On Saturday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had a telephone conversation with the Eurogroup chief but the content of their conversation was not made known.
According to Maximos Mansion sources, the Dutch finance minister never discussed the role of Varoufakis with Tsipras. If there was such a suggestion, they say, the Greek prime minister would have been obligated to answer.
It has been perceived that the reorganization of the bailout negotiating team that limits the role of Varoufakis was a move to appease euro zone partners who were angered by the Greek finance minister’s stance during the Riga Eurogroup meeting in Riga on Friday.
Dijsellbloem: Greece cannot make it without further loans
The Eurogroup president said on RTL that a referendum will not help the Greek government in negotiations because there is no money, nor time and the country is running out of cash. “I don’t think the Greeks have time for something like that.”
Dijsellbloem also said that the change of the negotiating team will not suffice by itself to end the deadlock in talks with creditors. However, he welcomed the change saying that it is “good news.”
“Without further loans, Greece cannot make it, that’s reality. And reality says that Greece cannot come out of the crisis without help,” he said.
Speaking of the European Central Bank’s decision to not ease its rules on emergency liquidity assistance, he said that “Greece played the bet that if you negotiate with us, the ECB will release funds. Greece lost that bet. … There will not be access to the ECB’s counter until there is a firm agreement with the Eurogroup,” Dijsellbloem said.
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