Greece govt officials considered the opening EU bailout offer as "absurd" and "unacceptable"; Meeting said to have ended abruptly - press
- Greece negotiator says: "in these circumstances there cannot be a deal today."- Report noting Greece was offered to respect the conditions of the existing bailout.
- European negotiator: "The meeting is over."
- Eurogroup's Dijsselbloem: Greece has until the rest of the week to formally request extention to bailout program.- Says: "Given the timelines we have... we can use this week but that is about it... There has to be a commitment from the Greek government that they accept the main features of the program... The best way forward is to get a request from the Greeks for changes within the programme, that is our preferred option."
- France Fin Min Sapin: "There's only one reasonable path, that of a technical extension with flexibilty... to take the Greek people into account."
- EU's Moscovici: "It is very important that the Greek government ask for an extension. It includes the legal basis on which we can work."
- Greece Defense Min / Head of coalition Independent Greeks party: "We will not request any extension, we have a public mandate to go to the end. The Greeks together say no, we will not be blackmailed."
- Greece Fin Min Varoufakis: "We are determined to clash with mighty vested interests in order to reboot Greece and gain our partners trust... We are also determined not to be treated as a debt colony that should suffer what it must... Confident a deal can be reached in two days."