Article: Greece, the sculpture’s classicism

By Sergio Ruiz and Raquel Márquez

Translate by Sonia Matamoros

Greece has been and still is the cradle of the arts and also of the beauty ideal on western thinking. If we think in the different models and archetypes of esthetics and harmony, we can fathom the starting point or classic sculpture being born in the Greek culture. In the development, both intellectual and political of Greece, sculpture have had a decisive role: It not only has been a way to express for the period’s artists, but it also has been a symbol of the development of the city: battles, celebration of the Olympic Games, myths and legends, religion / polytheism…

Greece crisis: IMF calls for Greek debt relief after bailout approved

By BBC News

The International Monetary Fund has called on eurozone ministers to offer Greece debt relief, following the approval of a new bailout deal.

Greece debt crisis: Eurozone receives economic reform plan

By BBC News

The Greek government has submitted proposals for economic reforms in an effort to secure a further bailout from its international creditors.

IMF says Greece needs extra €60bn in funds and debt relief

By The Guardian

The International Monetary Fund has electrified the referendum debate in Greeceafter it conceded that the crisis-ridden country needs up to €60bn (£42bn) of extra funds over the next three years and large-scale debt relief to create “a breathing space” and stabilise the economy.

Greece debt crisis: PM Tsipras defiant as bank controls bite

By BBC News

Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has made a defiant speech as cash withdrawal limits begin to bite for Greek bank customers. Mr Tsipras promised Greeks their pensions and wages would be safe.

Greece crisis: No vote would mean euro exit, leaders warn

By BBC News

EU leaders have warned Greeks that rejecting creditors' proposals in a snap referendum called for Sunday would mean leaving the euro. German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said the vote would be "yes or no to the eurozone".

IMF walks out of Greece bailout talks

By The Guardian

The International Monetary Fund dramatically pulled out of talks with debt-stricken Greece on Thursday after it accused Athens of failing to compromise over labour market and pension reforms.

The Washington-based lender of last resort said its team of negotiators had quit talks in Brussels after reaching a stalemate and would be returning to Washington.

The move left the Greek negotiating team with no option but to say it would also be leaving the talks and heading home to Athens.

Merkel calls in Draghi and Lagarde for Greek debt talks

By The Guardian

The German chancellor Angela Merkel moved to try to defuse Greece’s financial and European crisis late on Monday, converting a routine long-scheduled meeting with French and EU leaders into a mini-summit on Greece that was said to be preparing a final response to Athens’ intractable debt dilemmas.

 

Germany rejects Greek loan request

By BBC 

Germany has rejected a Greek request for a six-month extension to its eurozone loan programme.

The rejection came despite the European Commission calling the Greek request "positive" only minutes earlier.

Greece had sought a new six-month assistance package, rather than a renewal of the existing deal that comes with tough austerity conditions.

However, a German finance ministry spokesman said the new plea was "not a substantial proposal for a solution".

Later on Thursday, Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras and German chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by telephone, according to the Reuters news agency.

One Greek government official described the 50-minute call as "constructive", adding: "The conversation was held in a positive climate, geared towards finding a mutually beneficial solution for Greece and the eurozone."

Tension

Meanwhile, Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi spoke to Mr Tsipras and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in a further effort to strike a deal, an Italian government source said, according to Reuters.

Greece formally requested a six-month extension to its eurozone loan agreement on Thursday, offering major concessions as it raced to avoid running out of cash within weeks, but the German finance ministry abruptly dismissed the proposal.

The BBC's Mark Lowen in Athens says Germany's rejection of the Greek proposal suggested "a rift between Brussels and Berlin at the very highest level".

"It's not yet clear which side will prevail, and which side will give ground, but clearly the hopes that Greece was moving towards a deal... have been thrown into doubt once again."

BBC Europe editor Gavin Hewitt says the situation underlines the tension between Brussels and Berlin and mistrust between Berlin and Athens.

'Outraged'

A top European official said the stand-off had come down to a clash of personalities between German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who objected to the negotiating style of his Greek counterpart, Yanis Varoufakis.

"There is a real problem of personalities and I understand that. Schaeuble is outraged by comments made by Varoufakis," the official said.

The Greek request letter includes a pledge to maintain "fiscal balance" for a six-month period, while it negotiates with eurozone partners over long-term growth and debt reduction.

The Greek government was also reported as saying that its extension proposal was in order to give Athens enough time, without the threat of "blackmail and time deficits", to draw up a new agreement with Europe for growth over the next four years.

The German finance ministry spokesman said the Greek request was an attempt at "bridge financing, without meeting the requirements of the programme. The letter does not meet the criteria agreed upon in the Eurogroup on Monday."'Positive sign'

But shortly before the German rejection of the proposal, a European Commission spokesman said that Mr Juncker regarded the letter as a "positive sign, which, in his assessment, could pave the way for a reasonable compromise in the interest of the financial stability in the euro area as a whole".

"The detailed assessment of the [Greek loan] letter and the response is now up to the Eurogroup," the spokesman added, referring to the discussions due to take place on Friday when European finance ministers meet in Brussels.

In comments aimed at Germany, a Greek government source said the Eurogroup had "just two choices: to accept or reject the Greek request. We will now discover who wants to find a solution, and who does not".

Greece fails to agree rescue package with eurozone finance ministers

By The Guardian

Greece has edged closer to leaving the eurozone after talks with European finance ministers broke up with no agreement on a new rescue package for the debt-stricken country.

A Greek official close to the talks in Brussels described the insistence on keeping the current bailout programme as unreasonable.

“The Greek authorities have indicated that they intend to successfully conclude the programme, taking into account the new government’s plans,” stated a draft of the rejected communique, which had been crossed through. A Greek official said the euro group had attempted to repeat the existing programme, which was unacceptable to Greece.

Both sides began the talks in entrenched positions. Arriving in Brussels for the discussions, Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany’s finance minister, said he was not optimistic of reaching a deal. “I’m quite sceptical, the Greek government has not moved apparently.”

Earlier, Schäuble accused the Syriza-led coalition government headed by Alexis Tsipras of “acting irresponsibly” and said he felt sorry for the Greek people.

Schäuble’s comments prompted an instant retort from the Greek government, with a spokesman in Athens saying that Berlin was also acting irresponsibly.

Pressure has been mounting on the finance ministers from the 19-strong euro group to find a way of negotiating an extension of Greece’s credit line before the current programme expires at the end of the month.

Greece’s government has called for bridging loans to help it avoid a short-term cash crisis while it negotiates a less onerous bailout deal with the rest of the eurozone.

“We are determined to clash with mighty vested interests in order to reboot Greece and gain our partners’ trust. We are also determined not to be treated as a debt colony that should suffer what it must,” Greece’s finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, wrote in an article in the New York Times on Monday.

Varoufakis, an economics professor who specialises in game theory, insisted Greece is not bluffing about its negotiating tactics. He wrote: “I am often asked: ‘What if the only way you can secure funding is to cross your red lines and accept measures that you consider to be part of the problem, rather than of its solution?’ Faithful to the principle that I have no right to bluff, my answer is: ‘The lines that we have presented as red will not be crossed. Otherwise, they would not be truly red, but merely a bluff.’”

With Germany and Greece deadlocked, eurozone ministers voiced scepticism about getting an agreement on Monday. Peter Kažimír, Slovakia’s finance minister and deputy prime minister, said he expected to return to Brussels for another meeting soon. “It is difficult to expect conclusions tonight, it’s too early.”

Greece’s current financing expires on 28 February and Monday’s euro group meeting was billed as the last chance to secure a deal. But expectations are rising that another “final’ meeting could be held later this week.

The first formal negotiations between Greece and its eurozone partners sinceSyriza swept to power last month broke up last week without any breakthrough.

The gloomier mood surrounding the talks made it more expensive for the Greek government to service its national debt, currently 175% of annual national output. The interest rate on three-year Greek debt rose by almost 1.5 percentage points to 17.15%, while the interest rate on 10-year bonds was up by just under 0.25 points to 9.74%.