Athens---Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday attacked the country's creditors for insisting on what he described as "absurd" reforms which have only held up progress in negotiations for a deal aimed at preventing his country from defaulting.
His remarks came as IMF chief Christine Lagarde and ECB President Mario Draghi unexpectedly joined the leaders of France, Germany and the head of the European Commission for talks on Greece's debt crisis.
"The lack of an agreement so far is not due to the supposed intransigent, uncompromising and incomprehensible Greek stance," Tsipras wrote in a column published by French newspaper Le Monde.
"It is due to the insistence of certain institutional actors on submitting absurd proposals and displaying a total indifference to the recent democratic choice of the Greek people," he added.
Greece has been locked in talks with its creditors -- the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank -- in a bid to unlock 7.2 billion euros ($7.9 billion) in bailout funds.
However, a deal has so far proved elusive as the creditors are demanding greater reforms in return for the cash, which Tsipras's government -- elected on an anti-austerity bill -- has refused to match.
Tsipras said his government has made concessions, including agreeing to implement a series of privatisations it had previously opposed.
It has also agreed to reform the value added tax system as well as the pension system.
Rather than imposing further austerity that has so far only served to drive Greece into a deeper recession, he said his government has also submitted proposals to raise revenues.
These include a special tax on the very wealthy, greater efforts towards clamping down on tax evasion, and putting broadcasting and other licences up for tender.
AFP
