Reuters — Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Wednesday he was optimistic of a positive outcome when euro zone finance ministers meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss the progress of Greece’s bailout and the disbursement of new loans.
Athens needs the funds to repay 7.5 billion euros of debt maturing in July. Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed during a call on Wednesday morning that a deal was “feasible” by Monday, a government official said.
It is not thought that Germany will allow a Greek default at this stage before the German elections, but the matter of debt relief the IMF insists on has not yet been resolved. A political solution that will defer any final decisions to a time after the German elections is Berlin’s preferred option and the most likely outcome.
“I’m optimistic,” Tsipras told journalists. “The messages I’m getting are that we will have a positive outcome on the 22nd.”
