Skip to main content
Friday, November 13, 2026Nov 13
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

Greek PM says initial deal in bailout talks ‘very close’

A woman checks garments at a shop in central Athens, on Monday, April 27, 2015. An opinion poll shows a majority of Greeks are dissatisfied with the new government's performance, and half want it to compromise with its European creditors if current tortuous bailout negotiations reach an impasse. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
A woman checks garments at a shop in central Athens, on Monday, April 27, 2015. An opinion poll shows a majority of Greeks are dissatisfied with the new government's performance, and half want it to compromise with its European creditors if current tortuous bailout negotiations reach an impasse. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)

By Associated Press 3 min read

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Greece’s prime minister voiced hope that bailout talks between the cash-strapped country and its international creditors are “very close” to an initial deal, and ruled out early elections if the dragging negotiations fail.

Alexis Tsipras told private Star TV that he believes a first agreement can be struck by the end of next week, which can then be ratified by Greece’s European partners.

“I think that by the 9th of May we will have an agreement” that will allow release of some bailout funds, he said in a three-hour interview screened just before midnight Monday.

Since its election in January, Tsipras’ radical left-led government has been locked in increasingly fraught talks with other European countries that use the euro currency – which provide the bulk of the bailout cash that has kept Greece afloat for five years.

At stake is a final 7.2 billion-euro ($7.8 billion) rescue loan installment, which will enable the country to keep up payments to its European creditors and the International Monetary Fund – as well as to state employees and pensioners. Greece’s cash reserves are perilously low, and failure to meet its obligations could potentially trigger a chain of events eventually forcing the country to abandon the euro.