By Deepa Babington and Renee Maltezou ATHENS (Reuters) – The New Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Sunday he will not accept the extension of rescue their country, opening the door to a clash with leaders of the European Union at a summit on Thursday. Tsipras also said his government will heal the “wounds” of austerity, fulfilling his campaign promises to give free food and electricity suffer most, and rehiring civil servants dismissed as part of the measures included in the rescue. In his first major speech to parliament as prime minister, said he is still optimistic about reaching an agreement with its EU partners on debt and a . transitional pact “The rescue failed,” he said. “The new government has no justification for requesting an extension (…), because you can not request an extension from mistakes,” he said. His speech will be followed closely by EU leaders, which to date have shown little willingness to comply with the demands of Tsipras, fearing a back general return in economic reforms that international lenders have requested in exchange for 240,000 million euros of aid. The Greeks have been hit hard by the austerity imposed on them by the “troika” of the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission. The country is just emerging from years of economic depression, but still one in four Greeks are unemployed. “The priority of this Government (…) is facing large wounds rescue and humanitarian crisis, as we promised before the election, “Tsipras said. Continued …
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