Greek government-debt crisis

Secretary of State for European Affairs George Ciamba paid a visit to Athens on Friday, the first visit to the Hellenic capital of a dignitary from a European Union member state outside the eurozone.

Photo credit: (c) SORIN LUPSA / AGERPRES STREAM

Key topics of the SYRIZA Central Committee meeting are the Eurogroup deal and governments legislative initiatives and plans

From the SYRIZA Central Committee meeting the Greek Prime Minister stressed the following:

-Lenders plan is and always has been to lead our government to wear, subversion or to an unconditional surrender on memorandum cheques

The four draft bills by the leftist SYRIZA government are as follows:

Humanitarian crisis

Tackling the "humanitarian crisis", which Greek PM Alexis Tsipras said has hit society of the last five years, entails: as "is our duty to a society suffering in the past five years", said the Greek Prime Minister.

In order to calm budding criticism that SYRIZA's pre-election promises may not be met, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday unveiled the first four draft bills by his government as well as the establishment of parliamentary commission of inquiry to probe how Greece needed the initial bailout in the first place.

By Ilias Bellos

Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis on Friday visited the installations of Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT), the local subsidiary of Cosco, with Chinese Ambassador Zou Xiaoli, in another effort by Athens to appease Beijing following Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras?s visit to the Chinese fleet?s flagship that had arrived in Greece?s main port.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras set out on Friday his government?s immediate legislative plans, while at the same time insisting he would continue to pursue debt relief and refuse to sign a third bailout for Greece.

 Greece sends list, aims to raise 3 bln euros in extra revenues this year, but further consultation needed

The Brussels Group, technical teams from Greece and its lenders, is on Saturday due to begin discussing the details of Athens reform proposals, which were completed Friday and will determine to a large extent whether creditors decide to release further bailout funding.

Efforts by Greece?s opposition parties New Democracy and PASOK to deconstruct the government?s narrative following a controversial deal with foreign lenders last week are being compromised by internal dissent.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras denied on Friday that his country would have to seek a third international bailout when a four month extension to its current program expires.

In a televised speech to his cabinet, Tsipras also said the government had requested a reduction in the country's debt, even though EU/IMF creditors insist Greece must meet its obligations in full.

Workers at the Skouries goldmine in Halkidiki prefecture went on the offensive Friday in a bid to deflect opposition to the controversial investment by the new leftist SYRIZA government, warning, amongst others: "Don't play with our lives, we'll become your nightmare".