EUROZONE-GREECE/FRANCE-REACTIONS Parisians hope for happy ending after Greek bailout agreement

Record ID: 147357

  • Title: EUROZONE-GREECE/FRANCE-REACTIONS Parisians hope for happy ending after Greek bailout agreement
  • Date: 13th July 2015
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 13, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING DOWN SIDEWALK (SOUNDBITE) (French) PASSER-BY, CYRIL, SAYING: "It's great. Then, I think what happened this weekend in terms of negotiations is a bit dreadful -- but we don't have many details. But in any case, I'm very happy, if it ends well." COUPLE LOOKING AT POSTCARDS IN NEWS-STAND (SOUNDBITE) (French) PA
  • Embargoed: 28th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA5KDHL17S6PLFSGKGK8CKSCF0Q
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: French citizens on the streets of Paris on Monday (July 13) reacted with a mixture of relief and disappointment as eurozone leaders clinched a deal with Greece to negotiate a third bailout plan.
    The agreement came after a whole night of haggling at an emergency summit in Brussels.
    However the tough conditions imposed by international lenders, led by Germany, could bring down Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' leftist government and cause an outcry in Greece.
    Even before the final terms were known, his Labour minister, Panos Skourletis, went on state television to denounce the terms.
    EU officials said Tsipras finally accepted a compromise on German-led demands for the sequestration of Greek state assets to be sold off to pay down debt. The terms of the agreement were not immediately known.
    The Greek leader also dropped resistance to a full role for the International Monetary Fund in a proposed 86 billion euro ($95.78 billion) bailout, which German Chancellor Angela Merkel has declared essential to win parliamentary backing in Berlin.
    As the news of an agreement hit the French capital, some Parisians were relieved.
    "It's great. Then, I think what happened this weekend in terms of negotiations is a bit dreadful -- but we don't have many details. But in any case, I'm very happy, if it ends well," said passer-by Cyril.
    Others were sceptical that the new agreement would mean a happy ending for Greece and its lenders.
    "Unfortunately, I don't really see what could be the solution. (The Greek) People said no, but actually they have to realise that it's not possible, everything they had promised. It's not possible to apply it. So I hope this will end with a sound agreement and that everything will carry on as normal," said passer-by Reine.
    Passer-by Katya was disappointed with what she saw as a lack of practical information amidst media frenzy.
    "I didn't really understand why it's important whether or not Greece stays a part of Europe. The media hasn't explained what the interest is for France or Europe. For me it's a very vague topic. It's not well-explained. They're too concerned with the details and we, the citizens, don't understand why it's important, for us and for them, that Greece remains a part of Europe," Katya said.
    As the hours ticked away overnight, most of the leaders were forced to cool their heels, playing computer games or taking a nap in their delegation offices while Tusk and the leaders of Germany, France and Greece met several times privately to try to cut through the final knots.
    Tsipras will now have to rush swathes of legislation through parliament this week to convince his 18 partners to release bridging funds to avert a state bankruptcy and just to begin negotiations on a three-year loan.
    If the summit had failed, Greece would have be staring into an economic abyss with its shuttered banks on the brink of collapse and the prospect of having to print a parallel currency and in time exit the European monetary union.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register