Greek PM Tsipras has 'realistic' debt deal proposal

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says he has issued "a realistic proposal" to the country's international creditors in an attempt to secure a deal over its debts.

"We have submitted a realistic plan for Greece to exit the crisis," he said. Mr Tsipras said the plan included "concessions that will be difficult".

He is due to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the Greek proposals.

Mr Tsipras' statement follows talks in Berlin late on Monday attended by the heads of both the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank.

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde and ECB president Mario Draghi's presence at the meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's Francois Hollande underlined the seriousness of the talks.

Reports suggest the meeting was aimed at coming up with a "final proposal" to issue to Athens. But Mr Tsipras, who was not included at that meeting, said he had not yet been contacted by the IMF and European officials.

"We are not waiting for them to submit a proposal, Greece is submitting a plan - it is now clear that the decision on whether they want to adjust to realism... the decision rests with the political leadership of Europe," he added.

A €300m (£216m) payment from Greece to the IMF is due on Friday. There are fears Greece does not have the necessary funds to pay and could default on the debt, ultimately leading to its exit from the eurozone.

Friday's payment is the first of four totalling €1.5bn that Greece is due to pay to the IMF in June, and it is understood that the payments could be all bundled together and repaid in a single transaction at the end of the month. If Greece decides to repay the funds in this way, it would have to notify the IMF, but it has not yet done so.

(Πηγή: bbc.com)