Greek government-debt crisis

Greece faces another critical week with looming debt repayment obligations and the resumption of tough talks on a proposed list of reforms with the country?s international creditors amid renewed speculation about the possibility of a Greek default or an early general election.

The Greek government will not cut salaries and pensions, says Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, head of the small right-wing anti-austerity Independent Greeks (ANEL)  party, the junior coalition partner in the current government.

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis departed for Washington D.C. on Sunday morning to meet in the evening with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Christine Lagarde for unofficial talks over the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) government's reforms plan.

Greece is close to an agreement with its international creditors following the presentation of a new list of reforms by the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) government and Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis. The new agreement concerns the period until June, however there still needs to be an agreement following this period.

The Radical Left Coalition government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras decided to proceed in the first large defense deal in 10 years. The sudden move came when the modernization of five old navy jets was commissioned to United States company LockheedMartin. The agreement's price tag is at an estimated 500 mln dollars.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is visiting Serbia early in May following telephone contact between Mr. Tsipras and Serbian Prime Minister Alexander Vucic.

The meeting has already been confirmed by Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic who says that the two countries’ foreign ministries have already started laying the groundwork for the visit.

Just as Greeks were wondering what possessed the Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis to open up his home to Paris Match for a pretentious shoot of his home at the neoclassical building at the foot of the Acropolis, everything became clear. The Paris Match shoot was just free advertising for the home he put up for rent in Agora on Saturday.

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis will meet IMF chief Christine Lagarde in Washington on Sunday, ahead of the country's April 9 deadline for its next payment to the fund.

Varoufakis and Lagarde will have "an unofficial discussion on the Greek government's reform program," according to Greek Ministry of Finance statement on Saturday.

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis is meeting with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief in Washington on Sunday.

The focus of the unofficial discussion concerns the Greek government's reform program all the way up to the first quarter of 2016.

The meeting is to take place late in the evening, however Varoufakis is leaving Athens in the morning.

Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis told Agora newspaper on Saturday that the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) government will either be one of "huge rifts and progressive reversals or it will not have a future."