Wednesday, May 22, 2013
FAIRFIELD-SUISUN, CALIFORNIA
99 CENTS

Euro nations split on how to help Greece cut debt

BRUSSELS — Greece’s international creditors are proposing giving the country two more years to reform its economy, but European finance ministers were split Monday over how to put together a comprehensive deal to help Athens dig out of its mountain of debt.

A draft report on Greece’s progress from the so-called troika of creditors — the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund —recommends giving Athens until 2016 to implement the reforms necessary to restart growth and bring its debts down to a sustainable level. The document was obtained by The Associated Press.

Ahead of Monday’s meeting of the 17 eurozone finance ministers in Brussels, Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said the extension would mean €31 billion to €32 billion ($39.48 billion-$40.75 billion) in extra financing.

The troika has pledged €240 billion ($305 billion) in bailout loans to keep Greece afloat while it implements economic reforms and austerity measures to get its finances in order. The country has received around €150 billion of those loans so far.

Greece is waiting for the next €31.5 billion ($40 billion) installment of its bailout loan before it faces a bond repayment Friday that it may not be able to afford otherwise. It has passed a series of spending cuts and reforms in the past few days to meet the conditions of the loan. But in recent months, it has become clear that the country’s bailout program is way off track, and deep disagreements persist among its creditors on how to right it.

The main aim of the bailout program is to get Greece back to a point where it no longer relies on international aid and can raise money on the debt markets. But the Greek government has been asking its creditors for more time to reach that goal— hoping that a slower pace will release the stranglehold the cuts have on the economy.

The country is heading into the sixth year of a deep recession, with more than a quarter of Greeks unemployed. Without growth, Greece has no possibility of collecting enough in taxes to put a dent in its debts. In fact, current projections suggest the country has no hope of reaching the program’s goal of bringing its debts down to 120 percent of GDP by 2020 — a level generally considered sustainable.

“The two-year extension of the adjustment period will mitigate the impact on the economy, while securing a sustainable fiscal position,” the draft document, obtained by The Associated Press, stated.

Jean-Claude Juncker, head of the group of finance ministers from the 17 euro countries, said the troika had prepared a “positive” report assessing Greece’s progress.

But Germany’s finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, said Greece can’t receive the next installment of its bailout loan until the question of the country’s debt sustainability is solved.

“We first have to see if Greece has delivered,” he said, as he headed into the meeting Monday. “I have not seen this.”

The issue of Greece’s debt is a divisive and important one. If Greece’s debts can’t be reduced to a level where the country can reliably pay them down, then the billions of euros in bailout loans already agreed for Greece will have been wasted. But easing up on the timeline will cost more money, and politicians in other countries are nervous they won’t be able to sell that to voters. Some countries are also irritated that Greece has consistently missed the deadlines set for it.

The draft troika report is short on details, but a eurozone diplomat said that, if the timeline for Greece’s program is extended, the country will need an extra €15 billion through 2014 and another €17.6 billion between 2014 and 2016. Those figures are similar to the total Finance Minister Noonan gave.

Many economists are also suggesting that Greece will never reduce its debts to a manageable level unless its eurozone creditors agree to take losses on some of their loans. Private creditors have already wiped out more than €100 billion of Greek debt.

French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said the ministers had to reach some sort of over-arching agreement on how to move forward on Greece.

“I hope tonight we can find a political agreement in order to say we can go on with the Greek program, let’s put the problems behind us and let’s rebuild confidence in the eurozone,” he said.

He added that the ministers couldn’t ignore the tremendous sacrifices Greece had made in recent days, approving a raft of reform measures and an austerity budget for next year.

“There were these votes, they were courageous,” Moscovici said. “We shouldn’t turn a deaf ear.”

Christine Lagarde, president of the International Monetary Fund, sounded a similar note. “Greece has done an awful lot of work, and now it is time for the creditors to do the same,” she said. What the country needs, she said, was “not a quick fix but a real fix.”

Whatever the outcome of Monday’s meeting, no decision on giving Greece the €31.5 billion loan will be made because some eurozone parliaments must approve the deal first.

Lawmakers in Germany said a vote could be held next week.

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

LEAVE A COMMENT

Discussion | No comments

The Daily Republic does not necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy

.

Solano News

County officials take road trip, examine projects

By Barry Eberling | From Page: A1, 2 Comments | Gallery

 
Science classes gets hands dirty to monitor creeks

By Danny Bernardini | From Page: A1 | Gallery

Speaking on behalf of the animals

By C.W. Plunkett | From Page: A2, 2 Comments

 
Church will offer free summer algebra program

By Heather Ah San | From Page: A3

50th annual juried art show comes to Fairfield mall

By Amy Maginnis-Honey | From Page: A3

 
Rural Vacaville fire sparked by lawn mower

By Heather Ah San | From Page: A3

 
Grass fire along Highway 12 quickly contained

By Heather Ah San | From Page: A3 | Gallery

Pink fire truck to be dedicated in breast cancer fight

By Barry Eberling | From Page: A3

 
Police arrest 3 in Fairfield robbery case

By Barry Eberling | From Page: A3

Emergency medical professionals recognized

By Heather Ah San | From Page: A3

 
Rio Vista moving forward with city manager search

By Heather Ah San | From Page: A4

Council selects members of Measure P advisory committee

By Danny Bernardini | From Page: A4

 
Gun, drug charges filed against Vacaville teacher

By Jess Sullivan | From Page: A4

Courthouse employee finds man sleeping in her house

By Jess Sullivan | From Page: A4

 
 
Travis Dairy killers back in court

By Jess Sullivan | From Page: A5, 1 Comment

 
Fairfield police log Monday, May 20, 2013

By John Glidden | From Page: A12

 
Weather for Wednesday, May 22, 2013

By Daily Republic staff | From Page: B14

.

US / World

With high-tech guns, users could disable remotely

By The Associated Press | From Page: A1

 
Teachers credited with saving students in Okla.

By The Associated Press | From Page: A1

Search for Okla. tornado survivors nearly complete

By The Associated Press | From Page: A1 | Gallery

 
Power of Moore tornado dwarfs Hiroshima bomb

By The Associated Press | From Page: A1

More tornadoes from global warming? Nobody knows

By The Associated Press | From Page: A1

 
Bay Area teacher arraigned on molestation charges

By The Associated Press | From Page: A6 | Gallery

Man goes missing after SF Bay to Breakers race

By The Associated Press | From Page: A6

 
Man survives 220-foot jump off Golden Gate Bridge

By The Associated Press | From Page: A6

Calif. to post raw campaign filings online daily

By The Associated Press | From Page: A6

 
Web site sues FBI in SF over alleged surveillance

By The Associated Press | From Page: A6

Gay Fla. teen charged for underage girlfriend

By The Associated Press | From Page: A8

 
Arias asks jury to give her life in prison

By The Associated Press | From Page: A8 | Gallery

Conn. rail service to return to normal Wednesday

By The Associated Press | From Page: A8

 
Senate panel approves immigration bill

By The Associated Press | From Page: A9

FBI ID’s Benghazi suspects _ but no arrests yet

By The Associated Press | From Page: A9

 
Protesters rally over IRS’ tea party scrutiny

By The Associated Press | From Page: A9, 4 Comments

IRS official to take the 5th at House hearing

By The Associated Press | From Page: A9

 
Israel warns Syria against attacks on Golan

By The Associated Press | From Page: A14

Senate panel approves weapons for Syrian rebels

By The Associated Press | From Page: A14

 
UN: Drop in Syrians reaching Jordan, unclear why

By The Associated Press | From Page: A14

Syria opposition signals tough line on peace talks

By The Associated Press | From Page: A14

 
.

Opinion

 

Toll roads sound warning note for high-speed rail

By Thomas Elias | From Page: A11

California budget news improves slightly

By Dan Walters | From Page: A11

 
American teens’ materialism makes sense

By Scripps Howard News Service | From Page: A11

Breaking the rules

By Letter to the Editor | From Page: A11, 1 Comment

 
.

Living

Today in History for May 22, 2013

By The Associated Press | From Page: A2

 
Community calendar Wednesday, May 22, 2013

By John Glidden | From Page: A2

Our son and his wife drink too much and are always fighting

By Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar | From Page: B5

 
Horoscopes for May 22, 2013

By Holiday Mathis | From Page: B5

The careless art of the wonderful summer cocktail

By J.M. Hirsch | From Page: B6 | Gallery

 
Foodtips: Build a tasty salad without too many calories

By Scripps Howard News Service | From Page: B6, 1 Comment

Full-fat cheese the secret to a healthy quesadilla

By Sara Moulton | From Page: B6 | Gallery

 
The pope and the devil: Is Francis an exorcist?

By The Associated Press | From Page: A13, 2 Comments | Gallery

.

Entertainment

TVGrid

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: A5

 
Singer Kellie Pickler named new ‘Dancing’ champ

By The Associated Press | From Page: A7

Library honors Carole King with US pop music prize

By The Associated Press | From Page: A7 | Gallery

 
Muppets creator’s items head to NYC museum

By The Associated Press | From Page: A7

At last: ‘Arrested’ is reborn Sunday on Netflix

By The Associated Press | From Page: A7 | Gallery

 
Harry Potter book with author notes sold for $228K

By The Associated Press | From Page: A7

.

Sports

Veteran DB Charles Woodson returns to Raiders

By The Associated Press | From Page: B1

 
Sharks tie series with 2-1 win over Kings

By The Associated Press | From Page: B1 | Gallery

49ers thrilled to have Super Bowl come to town

By The Associated Press | From Page: B1

 
The 50th Super Bowl goes to Bay Area

By The Associated Press | From Page: B1 | Gallery

Cavaliers win NBA draft lottery again

By The Associated Press | From Page: B1 | Gallery

 
Expos top Fairfield Indians on walk-off hit

By Mike Corpos | From Page: B1

Sandoval’s HR lifts Giants past Nationals, 4-2

By The Associated Press | From Page: B2

 
Garcia, Woods take their shots at each other

By The Associated Press | From Page: B2

Spurs blow late lead, beat Grizzlies 93-89 in OT

By The Associated Press | From Page: B2

 
Bills WR Stevie Johnson resumes practicing

By The Associated Press | From Page: B2

Michael Jordan: Bobcats changing name to Hornets

By The Associated Press | From Page: B2

 
ESPN cutting workforce, ‘smartly managing costs’

By The Associated Press | From Page: B2

Golf adopts rule to ban anchored putting stroke

By The Associated Press | From Page: B2

 
Straily, Cespedes push A’s past Rangers 1-0

By The Associated Press | From Page: B2 | Gallery

Sports on TV for Wednesday, May 22, 2013

By Daily Republic staff | From Page: B3

 
Local sports for Wednesday, May 22, 2013

By Daily Republic staff | From Page: B3

.

Business

Ex-Ford execs charged in Argentine torture cases

By The Associated Press | From Page: B7

 
Microsoft touts Xbox One as all-in-1 entertainment

By The Associated Press | From Page: B7

Herbalife names Pricewaterhouse new auditor

By The Associated Press | From Page: B7

 
Stocks gain on reassurance from a top Fed official

By The Associated Press | From Page: B7

UC hospitals say patients safe despite strike

By The Associated Press | From Page: B7

 
Apple’s Cook faces Senate questions on taxes

By The Associated Press | From Page: B7

JPMorgan’s Dimon survives shareholder referendum

By The Associated Press | From Page: B9

 
.

Obituaries

.

Comics

Pickles

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

 
Garfield

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

Frank and Ernest

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

 
Baldo

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

Peanuts

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

 
Rose is Rose

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

B.C.

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

 
Zits

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

Get Fuzzy

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

 
Blondie

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

Wizard of Id

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

 
Sally Forth

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

Beetle Bailey

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

 
Dilbert

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

For Better or Worse

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

 
Fort Knox

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B4

Crossword

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B5

 
Bridge

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B5

Word Sleuth

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B5

 
Sudoku

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B5

Cryptoquote

By Daily Republic Syndicated Content | From Page: B5