Tsipras prepared to accept all bailout conditions
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Alexis Tsipras will accept all his bailout creditors' conditions that were on the table this weekend with only a handful of minor changes, according to a letter the Greek prime minister sent late Tuesday night and obtained by the Financial Times.
The two-page letter, sent to the heads of the European Commission, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank, elaborates on Tuesday's surprise request for an extension of Greece's now-expired bailout and for a new, third €29.1bn rescue, writes Peter Spiegel.
Although the bailout's expiry at midnight Tuesday night means the extension is no longer on the table, Mr Tsipras' new letter could serve as the basis of a new bailout in the coming days.
Mr Tsipras' letter says Athens will accept all the reforms of his country's value-added tax system with one change: a special 30 per cent discount for Greek islands, many of which are in remote and difficult-to-supply regions, be maintained.
On the contentious issue of pension reform, Mr Tsipras requests that changes to move the retirement age to 67 by 2022 begin in October, rather than immediately. He also requests that a special "solidarity grant" awarded to poorer pensioners, which he agrees to phase out by December 2019, be phased out more slowly than creditors request.
"The Hellenic Republic is prepared to accept this staff-level agreement subject to the following amendments, additions or clarifications, as part of an extension of the expiring [bailout] program and the new [third] loan agreement for which a request was submitted today, Tuesday June 30th 2015," Mr Tsipras wrote. He added:
As you will note, our amendments are concrete and they fully respect the robustness and credibility of the design of the overall program.
Eurozone finance ministers are due to discuss Mr Tsipras' new proposal in a conference call at 5:30pm, Brussels time.