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The Weekend Neos Kosmos : 27 June 2015
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6 THE WEEKEND NEOS KOSMOS | SATURDAY 27 JUNE 2015 NEWS Deadlock in Brussels Both sides ‘in their trenches’ as Tsipras faces day of judgment Greece has just hours to decide on what it is prepared to do to avoid defaulting on its €1.6bn debt repayment to the IMF and potentially exiting the eurozone. Talks between the Tsipras government and its creditors failed to reach agreement by the end of the week, leaving today's meeting of eurozone finance ministers as a last chance to find a breakthrough that would unlock another €7.2bn of bailout funds and enable a further rescue package to be considered. German chancellor Angela Merkel has insisted that any agreement needs to be in place before stock markets open on Monday. Despite three rounds of talks between Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Greece's creditors and two sessions of eurozone finance ministers, by Friday EU officials were highly pessimistic that an agreement would now be reached. "They can talk and talk, but the gap does not narrow," said an EU official. "Both sides are in their trenches." The mutual recriminations began on Thursday, with German chancellor Angela Merkel saying Greece had "gone backwards" on some issues, and that Germany would not accept being "blackmailed". Previously Alexis Tsipras took to Twitter, lashing out at the creditors, tweeting that their "strange position maybe hides two things, either they do not want an agreement or they are serving specific interests in Greece". He added: "The repeated rejection of equivalent measures by certain institutions never occurred before - neither in Ireland nor Portugal," referring to those countries' bailouts. The European Central Bank (ECB), IMF, and the European Commission dismissed Greek reform proposals earlier in the week, with the creditors tabling tougher terms for a settlement. Central to the divide is the IMF's concern that Greece's proposals place too much emphasis on raising taxes rather than cutting social expenditure - particularly in areas such as pensions. Meanwhile, speculation is mounting as to whether Tsipras will feel forced to call a referendum or fresh elections. Yesterday he was reported to have made the highly unusual move of calling Athens to speak to Greece's head of state, President Prokopis Pavlopoulos. With the Monday deadline looming, the terms of any agreement struck today would need to be rushed through the Greek parliament tomorrow, and the German parliament on Monday, in order to ensure that the bailout program, set to expire on Tuesday, is extended. The IMF has ruled out extending its 30 June deadline for the €1.6bn payment. The most fervent optimist might suggest the doomsday scenario is the most likely. Without an agreement, Greece will default and the dominoes will begin to fall. The ECB would be the first to tumble, withdrawing its support to the Greek banking system which in turn would force Athens to impose capital controls to prevent a run on the banks. The only glimmer of light appears to be in an arrangement some analysts believe could be put in place, only if there is an immediate agreement. The IMF payment could theoretically be made by forwarding bond profits due to Greece from the European Central Bank. The ECB is understood to owe Greece around €2bn in profits from its securities markets program. Sources: The Guardian, Reuters Looming pension changes for Greek Australians SAE Oceania prepares to tackle issues of pensions, taxation and visas ANASTASIA TSIRTSAKIS AND PANOS APOSTOLOU While the fate of Greece remains unknown, Greeks of the diaspora have their own concerns. As revealed to Neos Kosmos, the Abbott government has allegedly sent a formal proposal to Greece for a review of the pension agreement between the two countries. Coordinator of the SAE Oceania committee Giorgos Angelopoulos said "we have close links with Greece, we have our informers in the country and confirm the existence of this document". This, along with a number of issues affecting expatriate Greeks, will be discussed today at the organisation's annual General Meeting set to take place at Sydney's Cypriot Community Club. As the agreement stands, those entitled to a pension in Australia are permitted to continue receiving their benefits whilst abroad, and vice versa - a situation the Australian government is no longer happy with according The Australian government has allegedly proposed a review of the current pension agreement with Greece. PHOTO: AAP/ALAN PORRITT. to Mr Angelopoulos. The coordinator expressed his concern, stating that "the changes proposed by the Abbott government are alarming and will affect many pensioners". Despite this however, Greek expatriates who own property in Greece can expect to see some positive changes based on a decision by SYRIZA to lower taxes paid by Greeks abroad. Along with pensions, the meeting will also address the impending work visa agreement between the two countries. Set to be brought before the Greek parliament, if the visa is ratified Greek nationals will be granted the opportunity to legally work in Australia for 12 months. The committee will seek to rally support from various or- ganisations, to help encourage the Greek government to place the issue high on the agenda. A travel warning issued by the Australian government to those travelling to Greece in the summer months has also come up as concern for SAE committee members. The government-run Smart Traveller website warns: "Australians visiting Greece should be aware of the possibility that retail banking services throughout Greece may at times become very limited at short notice. Make sure you have more than one means of payment with you (cash, debit cards, credit cards), and make sure you have enough money to cover emergencies and any unexpected delays." Not every sector of the Greek community will represented at the meeting, however; president of Melbourne's Greek Community Bill Papastergiadis declined to attend. In a letter to the Director General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad Michael Kokkinos, Mr Papastergiadis wrote, "the Community believes that we need to review the whole concept of this organisation. For eight years it has not offered anything significant to the diaspora, nor does it have any direct relationship with diasporic affairs of Australia". Mr Angelopoulos was surprised by the statement, though acknowledges the organisation is not functioning to the same extent as in its heyday. "The only organisations that are still running are ours and the former Soviet Republic. The US, Canada, Europe and Africa have either closed or are barely functioning," he said. "We remain open because our body is registered and recognised by the Commonwealth, we adhere to our constitution and we have open channels of communication with Greece." Currently there are plans to form a new SAE committee, which will be self-funded with the initial support of the Greek state to assist the start up of the initiative. Plans for this year's Ocean- ia Panhellenic Games have been postponed until further notice. Backing Athens: Australian Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon. PHOTO: AAP/JANE DEMPSTER. Stand with us CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Mr Papastergiadis said that he "urged any and every Australian politician to both explore the facts, beyond the news grabs that are released from the European institutions, and show real support for the Greek people in this moment of crisis”. "We call on members of the Australian parliament to show support for the Greek people by expressing concern at the continued support by IMF officials for the austerity program." The GOCMV president said that despite the failed Senate motion, he called upon the government and opposition to reconsider its policy on the matter "and seek to support the suffering Greek people". One of the backers of the motion, along with Greens deputy leader Scott Ludlam, was fellow party member NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon. Ms Rhiannon told Neos Kosmos she had been proud to back the motion "as a longtime campaigner against austerity, and as someone who has worked closely with the Greek community in NSW”. "It is absolutely appropriate for there to be a discussion regarding whether or not the Australian government supports the harsh measures being levied against the people of Greece." The Greens senator added that many members of the Greek community in NSW whom she represented had "expressed their despair at the current situation". Sydney demo to target IMF office CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 and Rome last week in hosting similar rallies, with demonstrators saying banking institutions should take responsibility for the damage caused to the Greek economy in recent years. Thousands took to the streets of Brussels last Sunday as hundreds more protestors crowded the streets of Amsterdam, rounding off a weekend of anti-austerity demonstrations. In the Dutch capital, Greek parliamentarian and World War II resistance hero Manolis Glezos told the crowd: "This crisis was caused by the financial sector, not by the Greek people. It's the financial sector that has to pay, not the Greek people." Sebastien Franco, organiser of the Brussels demo which attracted more than 3,000 participants, told reporters: "Austerity is not working, it reduces the income of poor people in the name of reimbursement to creditors … who continue to enrich themselves." Last weekend Athens saw its second anti-austerity demonstation in seven days, with thousands rallying in Syntagma Square. While many were calling for Prime Minister Tsipras to stand up to pressure from the IMF and other creditors, carrying placards that read "the people will not be blackmailed" and "the country is not for sale," others used the demonstration to show their unequivocal wish for Greece to stay in the euro. DIGITAL.NEOSKOSMOS.COM
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