German conservatives raise pressure on IMF over Greece

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Reuters — Several German conservative lawmakers expressed concern on Thursday that the International Monetary Fund had not yet joined the third aid package for Greece, with one calling for a new parliamentary vote if the IMF did not commit by the end of 2016.

“Numerous lawmakers feel as if they’ve been sold down the river,” Christian von Stetten, a conservative, told top-selling Bild daily, echoing comments made by Klaus-Peter Willsch, a longtime critic of the Greek bailouts.

Senior Christian Democrat Michael Fuchs said the IMF must give the green light soon to show it would participate.

Conservative Peter Ramsauer, head of the parliamentary economic committee, demanded a new vote in the Bundestag lower house if the IMF did not commit by the end of 2016 “and the payments must then be stopped immediately.”