IMF Won’t Join Greek Bailout Before Reforms, Debt Relief

The International Monetary Fund cannot participate in another Greek bailout until Greece and its creditors make difficult decisions on economic reforms and debt relief, a fund official said Thursday.

Briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, the official said Greece needs to commit to reforms and creditors must provide debt relief — extending loan terms or reducing the debt outright — that will allow Greece to pay its bills over time. “It’s always been clear the IMF will only come in once these conditions are in place,” he said, suggesting that point is months away. Still, the fund is participating in ongoing debt talks.

In Athens, a government official refused to comment directly on the IMF’s participation in the third bailout.

Bailout negotiations were launched in Greece this week, and have so far largely focused on tax reform, a planned overhaul of labor-market regulations, and efforts to simplify bureaucracy for new businesses, as well as attempts to limit an expected recession through 2016.

Lead IMF negotiator Delia Velculescu arrived in Athens late Thursday and was due to meet with Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos Friday, the official said.

This article appeared in print on page 3 of the July 31st, 2015 edition of Hamodia.