Greek Government Wins Confidence Vote, Pushes EU for Bailout Revision


(MENAFN- QNA) Greece's left-wing government has drawn up a 10-point plan to replace 30% of its massive bailout deal, after it easily won a confidence vote late on Tuesday, on the eve of the meeting with EU officials.

Greece will put its plan to Eurozone finance ministers in Brussels. But a swift deal is unlikely, with Greece being warned to abide by bailout terms.

The EU-IMF bailout for debt-laden Greece expires on 28 February and Athens does not want it extended.

The government says the bailout conditions - sweeping public spending cuts and job losses - have impoverished Greece.

It rejects the "troika" team - the EU, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Central Bank (ECB) - overseeing implementation of the 182 billion pounds bailout.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's government won a confidence vote on Tuesday evening, as was expected, with the backing of its coalition partner, a small right-wing party.

His government had the support of 162 deputies in the 300-seat parliament "I want to repeat today, no matter how much Schaeuble asks it, we are not going to ask to extend the bailout," Tsipras said, before the vote.

"Schaeuble is proposing irrational things, to ask for a perpetuation of the mistake," he said, referring to the 2010 bailout deal.

The new 10-point plan includes bond swaps to reduce Greece's debt mountain and a proposal to make the primary budget surplus target for this year 1.49% of GDP instead of the 3% demanded by its creditors, a Greek finance ministry source said.

The primary surplus is the surplus before interest payments are included.


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