Athens---Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday accused international creditors of trying to "humiliate" his country and called on Europe to reconsider its support for tough IMF reform proposals.
"The fixation on cuts... is most likely part of a political plan... to humiliate an entire people that has suffered in the past five years through no fault of its own," Tsipras told lawmakers from his radical left Syriza party.
"The time has come for the IMF's proposals to be judged in public...by Europe," the PM said, adding that the global lender bore "criminal responsibility" for austerity measures that plunged the country into a prolonged recession.
Tsipras' outburst over the acrimonious talks with Greece's creditors came as Athens came under pressure to tone down its rhetoric and agree a debt deal with its EU-IMF creditors to avert default and possibly crashing out of the eurozone.
The tensions caused Athens stocks to shed 4.77 percent Tuesday, closing at 703.05 points after losing nearly five percent the previous day.
Alarmed by the deadlock, US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew told Tsipras in a phone call Tuesday that Athens should make "a serious move to reach a pragmatic compromise with its creditors".
Failing to agree new financing "would create immediate hardship for Greece and broad uncertainties for Europe and the global economy," Lew warned, according to a statement issued by the Treasury.
The fraught negotiations between Athens and its creditors -- the IMF, EU and the European Central Bank (ECB) -- concern the release of the last 7.2 billion euros ($8.1 billion) in rescue funds from Greece's massive bailout.
- 'Two or three gestures' -
The embattled 40-year-old premier held talks with rival political leaders earlier Tuesday to seek support for a potential compromise, with just two weeks to go before the bailout expires.
Greece must also come up with 1.6 billion euros due to the IMF at the end of the month, with another 6.7 billion euros due to the ECB in July and August, which Greek officials have said the government cannot afford.
An opposition leader who met with Tsipras said the premier had cited "two or three gestures" that he could make to break the deadlock.
This had raised hopes that Athens was about to give ground, as EU leaders considered holding an emergency summit over the crisis.
But Tsipras went back on the offensive, accusing the creditors of presenting proposals that merely pooled their toughest demands.
"Right now, what dominates is the IMF's harsh views on tough measures, and Europe's on denying any discussion over debt viability," he said.
AFP
