Greek PM to raise cash crunch at EU leaders' summit

[March 18, 2015]  ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will raise the country's deepening cash crunch in talks with EU leaders at this week's summit in Brussels, the government's spokesman said on Wednesday, as Athens faces running out of cash in weeks.

Greece agreed a four-month extension to its bailout program last month but has not received any fresh aid, which remains frozen amid Athens' steadily worsening relations with its international creditors.

"We will aim to clarify the Feb. 20 accord with the Eurogroup and how it will be accompanied by the provision of liquidity to the Greek economy," government spokesman Gabriel Sakellaridis told Skai TV.

Tsipras wants to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi and European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.
 

Sakellaridis also said that the government planned to vote in as planned its first bill designed to tackle a humanitarian crisis the government blames on austerity, despite a report suggesting opposition from EU partners.

Britain's Channel 4 reported that European Commission representative Declan Costello had asked Greece's leftist government to enter into further talks over the bill and plans to introduce a law for the repayment of arrears in installments.

Parliament began debating the humanitarian crisis bill, which includes measures to provide free electricity and food to destitute households, on Tuesday with the vote expected to take place later on Wednesday.

"We are determined to legislate and legislate in the way in which we have begun," Sakellaridis said.

"It is not that we don't want dialogue and consultation but it is not possible at the last moment, with two weeks having passed during which this bill has been up in the air, just a few hours before the bill is to be voted on ... for such a request to be raised."

Technical teams from Greece and its international lenders started talks last week to try and agree on the details of a common set of reforms, but have made little progress so far.

(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos and Costas Pitas; Editing by Deepa Babington and Susan Fenton)

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