ATHENS, June 20 (Xinhua) -- A crucial meeting of Greece's coalition leaders over the week-long national broadcaster crisis which has rattled the government's stability, ended on Thursday evening with no agreement, the two junior partners said.
"We didn't find common ground on ERT ... The issue is not a formality, but a matter of democratic substance ... It is not our responsibility that no common ground was found," Democratic Left party chief Fotis Kouvelis told media from his party's headquarters.
"For us the major issue is to restore democratic institutions and the operation of the state broadcaster ... The issue of the government's status is on the table ... We seek a review of our agreement of collaboration,"socialist PASOK party leader Evangelos Venizelos told the press.
He stressed that the country needs political stability and not elections.
Conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has urgently summoned New Democracy party cabinet ministers to his office, while the two junior centre-Left partners have summoned their parliamentary groups for emergency meetings.
According to local media analysts, the developments signal a possible deadlock that could lead to the collapse of the tri-partite coalition government and maybe early elections.
LUXEMBOURG, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem late Thursday called upon all Greek political parties to stay together to fulfils the country's promises so that the "troika" review can be finalized by early July.
The statement came just as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was reportedly threatening to cut its aid payments to Greece by the end of July if the Eurogroup fails to plug a financing shortfall of three to four billion euros soon. Full story
ATHENS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A day after Greece's coalition government staved off collapsing in a row over Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' decision to close the public broadcaster ERT, the three partners are working on a plan to resolve the crisis and open a transitional new entity, Greek media reported on Tuesday.
Following Monday's inconclusive first meeting on the issue which has divided the ruling coalition, Samaras is to hold fresh talks with his centre-Left junior partners on Wednesday seeking the way to restart programming until ERT is replaced by a new broadcaster with reduced personnel. Full story
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