Government official says deal to go to Parliament vote by Thursday
Following several hours of talks with creditors, a Greek government official said an agreement on a third loan program would be submitted to Parliament later on Tuesday ahead of a vote on Thursday.
The agreement, which foresees a series of tough economic reforms, is expected to be submitted to the House in one bill comprising two articles, the first detailing the new three-year loan program and the second setting out the prior actions that Greece must legislate to get the first tranche of loan funding from the new bailout.
After being discussed by parliamentary committees on Wednesday, the bill will go to a debate and vote on Thursday, the official said.
Amid reports of enduring skepticism to the new deal in Berlin, the official said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke by telephone on Monday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The German leader asked Tsipras "Why are you rushing?" according to the official who said she insisted on her preference for a bridge loan.
Tsipras told Merkel that Greece and its lenders have been proceeding on the basis of a July 13 agreement, in which eurozone leaders agreed to launch talks on a third program for Greece, the official said. He added that Tsipras also spoke by phone on Monday with French President Francois Hollande and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker who were both "very positive" about an agreement.
Tsipras also spoke to European Parliament President Martin Schulz who was also said to be encouraging.
