Spanish Official Says Greece Seeking Third Bailout
Wall Street Journal - Mar 02, 2015
A political clash between Spain and Greece deepened after a top Spanish official said Greece is negotiating a third bailout with the European Union, a claim denied by a representative of the eurozone’s finance ministers.
Talks on a new bailout would be a severe embarrassment for the Greek government, which is still balking at the terms of the current one.
The comment from Spain is the latest in a series of barbs being traded between officials from both countries, with the left-wing government in Athens accusing the conservative government in Madrid of putting pressure on Greece to accept continued EU monitoring over its finances, in contravention of the political program under which the Syriza party won a Greek election in January.
The dispute rose to a new level Monday, when Spain’s Finance Minister Luis de Guindos said EU and Greek officials are currently negotiating a third bailout for Greece. Mr. de Guindos’s office said such a bailout could imply between €30 billion ($33.6 billion) and €50 billion ($56 billion) being transferred to Greece, but the figure should be taken as an estimate rather than an actual offer on the table.
