Greece
wants full bailout, not bridge loan, ruling party says
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[August 05, 2015]
ATHENS (Reuters) - The parliamentary
spokesman for Greece's ruling Syriza party urged it on Wednesday to
unite behind a new funding agreement, saying the country wanted a full
bailout immediately rather than a bridge loan.
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Nikos Filis said Greece was seeking a full agreement so that it
could receive a first payment of 25 billion euros.
"We are seeking to have a deal," he said on state television station
ERT. "The deal will have tough measures. What is important is that
the financing of the Greek economy starts."
Filis was speaking amid signs of progress in talks between Greece,
the International Monetary Fund and European Union institutions on a
new bailout worth up to 86 billion euros ($94.5 billion).
A deal must be must be settled by Aug. 20, or a second bridge loan
agreed, if Greece is to pay off debt of 3.5 billion euros to the
European Central Bank that matures on that day.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Aug/05/images/ads/current/elkhart_grain_daily_sda_022614.png) Both sides have said such a deal is possible, although the European
Commission described the target as ambitious, suggesting a lot of
work remains to be done.
Filis said Greece wanted the full deal, not a temporary measure.
"We will not accept new prior actions (reform conditions in place)
in order to have a small bridge loan," Filis said. "We want one
final deal to be signed and then we will see what is needed to have
a disbursement of 25 billion euros as the first installment."
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He also called for members of his party, about a quarter of whom
oppose the reforms and austerity linked to the bailout, to put the
country first.
"Differences should not prevail over the party's unity and the
country's stability," Filis said, warning that a split could damage
the government.
"The leftist government will stay in power only if its leftist
lawmakers vote in favor (of the bailout)."
Talks between Greece and its international creditors will continue
on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou Writing by Jeremy Gaunt; editing by
John Stonestreet)
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