Greek PM says in final stretch to secure deal with lenders but EU says ‘not there yet’

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday said his government was in the “final stretch” of talks to secure aid from its European and International Monetary Fund lenders and that details of the agreement would be presented soon.

“We are in the final stretch, it’s obvious that calmness and determination are needed,” Tsipras told reporters after a meeting with ministers involved in the negotiations.

“We are not alone in this, we are dealing with three different institutions which often have opposing views.”

But European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said that Greece and its international creditors were not yet at the point of drafting an agreement, reacting to an earlier comment from a Greek government official.

The official said that the so-called Brussels Group of creditors was beginning procedures to draw up a staff-level agreement.

Reacting to this, Dombrovskis said: “We are working very intensively to ensure a staff-level agreement. We are still not there yet.”

Other officials in the euro zone, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, were blunter. One called the Greek remarks “nonsense”. Another said: “I wish it were true”.

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