Pressed by lack of funds, deferred payments to the IMF Greece – Clarín.com

Today Greece will pay its first maturity of June, 307 million euros from the IMF. The Greek government yesterday formally asked the IMF to group all payments this month -307 000 000 today; 345 on 12; 575 on 16; the 19- and 345 day in a single maturity on 30 by 1.572 million.

Athens used a legal trick, which even Mario Draghi, ECB president had recommended the Wednesday-to buy time to negotiate. The IMF confirmed the request of Athens. Spokesman Gerry Rice said in a statement that “the Greek authorities informed the Fund that grouping the four payment plan June in a single maturity date of June 30″.

The Fund explains that It is legal that maneuver since the Zambia used in the ’70s: “Members may ask grouping several payments the same month. The decision was then taken by the administrative difficulty of making multiple payments in a short period of time. “

The Helena told press yesterday that the Greek Treasury has liquidity for June first two payments, totaling 652 million, but would have trouble beyond that date if you also want to pay pensions later this month and wages.

The meeting Wednesday night between Alexis Tsipras Greek Prime Minister and President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, ended with little progress and the only common position to continue negotiating. Yesterday both the Greek proposal and the counterproposal of creditors and their comparison shows significant differences filtered.

The document is not aimed creditors nor any restructuring of the Greek debt relief, but the general director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, he repeated yesterday that sooner or later is required. Europeans refuse to discuss the debt even though in 2012 promised that Greece would restructure if I got primary surplus, which won already last year.

Athens does not yield and does not accept several proposals its creditors. These call for a primary fiscal surplus -before payment of interest on the debt of 1% this year, 2% in 2016, 3% in 2017 and 3.5% in 2018. A cut in spending on pensions equivalent to 900 million this year and 1,800 next year and that Greece reintroduce collective agreements in labor relations, which eliminated the previous government as demanded by creditors.

Also you have only two sections of VAT of 11% and 23%, and to continue the privatization program. This includes the sale of 14 regional, paralyzed but they were already awarded to a German company airports.

Tsipras wants the primary surplus of 1.5% does not happen to have some economic margin with which to implement policies social. Neither accepts pensions cut more harden although early retirement. And wants a reduced VAT rate of 6% for commodities such as medicines, food, electricity and water.

The Greek prime minister repeated yesterday that his country would not accept “extreme proposals” and that creditors should understand “that Greek people have suffered a lot in the last five years. ” Greece has almost no silver and spent months suffering capital flight. But the ultimatum thrown at him on Monday Merkel, Hollande, the ECB and the IMF will have to wait.