Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has used an interview on Kokkino (Red) radio station 105.5 to defend his actions in first calling for a referendum and then agreeing to talks over a new bail-out.
During the interview the Greek PM called for unity within his Syriza party and warned rebels to support him or clear off; while at the same time he ruled out turning Syriza into a social-democratic party.
That sets the tone for a meeting of Syriza’s central committee on Thursday. That committee could decide whether to hold an emergency congress in September to overhaul the party or hold a referendum on the way forward.
Tsipras has warned radio listeners that Greece could still be forced out of the eurozone. The risk of Grexit won’t be removed until a third bailout deal, and debt relief, is secured, he said. “The situation is reversible for the Greek economy. We escaped measures worth 15 billion euro.” he added.
The Greek premier returned to defending the deal he signed up to at the all-night negotiations in Brussels. According to Tsipras the deal reached is not as painful as those in the past, “fiscal adjustment is a lot smaller than previous memoranda and the pension cuts are minimal” the PM said.
Concerning the July 5 referendum in which Greeks overwhelmingly rejected creditor demands for more cuts Greece's PM said it “was a high-risk strategy since everybody within and outside Greece was against [Syriza]”
“Chance of losing the referendum was high. But it was unavoidable. The referendum was decided Friday morning in a Brussels summit, when we we're given a take it or leave it deal. It internationalized the Greek problem, revealed the true face of partners and lenders. The EU has reached the limits of endurance and today its course is called into question. The referendum calmed down the harsh attitude of lenders. It brought about changes in the attitude of euro area countries.” Tsipras said.
Tsipras further added that Greece cannot return to markets with current dept level. He said Greece’s EU/IMF creditors will tackle its debt sustainability in November. For that to happen, Greece would need to agree a third bailout, and then show its lenders that it is sticking to the plan.