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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2015/jul/02/greek-debt-crisis-athens-creditors-referendum-yes-no-live

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Version 20 Version 21
Greek crisis: IMF says no third bailout without debt relief - as it happened Greek crisis: IMF says no third bailout without debt relief - as it happened
(8 days later)
7.49pm BST7.49pm BST
19:4919:49
And finally..... Tsipras says MPs will be asked to vote on the old bailout proposal, if the referendum result is Yes.And finally..... Tsipras says MPs will be asked to vote on the old bailout proposal, if the referendum result is Yes.
Greek PM Tsipras: Creditor deal will go to parliament if Greeks vote YES. (BBG)Greek PM Tsipras: Creditor deal will go to parliament if Greeks vote YES. (BBG)
But how, I wonder, will will his party vote?But how, I wonder, will will his party vote?
Anyway, that’s the end of the interview (highlights start here) And (for the second time) the end of this blog. See you tomorrow.Anyway, that’s the end of the interview (highlights start here) And (for the second time) the end of this blog. See you tomorrow.
UpdatedUpdated
at 7.49pm BSTat 7.49pm BST
7.44pm BST7.44pm BST
19:4419:44
Back in the Greek PM’s office, Tsipras denies that he’s attempting a coup with his referendum (as the opposition claimed).Back in the Greek PM’s office, Tsipras denies that he’s attempting a coup with his referendum (as the opposition claimed).
He’s also calling out the media for being biased in favour of the Yes campaign; the interviewer points out that Syriza MPs get on TV too.He’s also calling out the media for being biased in favour of the Yes campaign; the interviewer points out that Syriza MPs get on TV too.
#Greece Tsipras criticizes media for unbalanced reporting favoring YES - Journo: SYRIZA MPs in every TV too (lol )#Greece Tsipras criticizes media for unbalanced reporting favoring YES - Journo: SYRIZA MPs in every TV too (lol )
7.27pm BST7.27pm BST
19:2719:27
Constantine Michalos, head of the Hellenic Chambers of Commerce, doesn’t think the Greek banks are going to open again on Tuesday.Constantine Michalos, head of the Hellenic Chambers of Commerce, doesn’t think the Greek banks are going to open again on Tuesday.
He’s told the Telegraph that:He’s told the Telegraph that:
“We are reliably informed that the cash reserves of the banks are down to €500m. Anybody who thinks they are going to open again on Tuesday is day-dreaming. The cash would not last an hour,”“We are reliably informed that the cash reserves of the banks are down to €500m. Anybody who thinks they are going to open again on Tuesday is day-dreaming. The cash would not last an hour,”
Exclusive: Greeks banks down to €500m as economy crashes - @AmbroseEP in Athens http://t.co/kv2ku1ZCx5Exclusive: Greeks banks down to €500m as economy crashes - @AmbroseEP in Athens http://t.co/kv2ku1ZCx5
7.25pm BST7.25pm BST
19:2519:25
Tsipras is now repeating what his finance minister told Bloomberg this morning - that a No vote will be followed by fresh negotiations, and a deal.Tsipras is now repeating what his finance minister told Bloomberg this morning - that a No vote will be followed by fresh negotiations, and a deal.
* Greek PM says Greek banks will reopen after a deal - RTRS* Greek PM says Greek banks will reopen after a deal - RTRS
#Greece Tsipras Live: if strong NO next day I will be in Brussels and I will sign agreement#Greece Tsipras Live: if strong NO next day I will be in Brussels and I will sign agreement
The queues at banks are a shame-for #Greece & Europe. Partners refused to grant short extension of program, opting for extortion instead.The queues at banks are a shame-for #Greece & Europe. Partners refused to grant short extension of program, opting for extortion instead.
(This probably wouldn’t have happened if the referendum had been called earlier, though - it was the imminent end of the bailout programme that forced the ECB to act)(This probably wouldn’t have happened if the referendum had been called earlier, though - it was the imminent end of the bailout programme that forced the ECB to act)
7.15pm BST7.15pm BST
19:1519:15
My decision to call a referendum prompted the IMF to release its debt sustainability analysis, argues Tsipras.My decision to call a referendum prompted the IMF to release its debt sustainability analysis, argues Tsipras.
When we announced the #referendum, the IMF announced that #Greece's debt required a 30% haircut and long grace period. #Greferendum #OXIWhen we announced the #referendum, the IMF announced that #Greece's debt required a 30% haircut and long grace period. #Greferendum #OXI
7.13pm BST7.13pm BST
19:1319:13
Tsipras suggests that the International Monetary Fund could have piped up earlier:Tsipras suggests that the International Monetary Fund could have piped up earlier:
Tsipras now, ANT1 TV: What IMF says today for #Greece's debt was never said to us during the ngotiations. TR @doleross #GreececrisisTsipras now, ANT1 TV: What IMF says today for #Greece's debt was never said to us during the ngotiations. TR @doleross #Greececrisis
(aside: If the IMF has known for a while that Greece needs a €50bn bailout, and debt relief, did it make this clear during negotiations?)(aside: If the IMF has known for a while that Greece needs a €50bn bailout, and debt relief, did it make this clear during negotiations?)
7.10pm BST7.10pm BST
19:1019:10
And on the issue of the hour, Alexis Tsipras is adamant that a new bailout must include debt restructuringAnd on the issue of the hour, Alexis Tsipras is adamant that a new bailout must include debt restructuring
Without debt restructuring, no program will be viable. #Greece #Greferendum #dimopsifisma #OXIWithout debt restructuring, no program will be viable. #Greece #Greferendum #dimopsifisma #OXI
.....echoing the IMF, of course......echoing the IMF, of course.
#greece with impeccable political timing, IMF sides with greece against eurozone. #sortof http://t.co/SI6ewgslGm#greece with impeccable political timing, IMF sides with greece against eurozone. #sortof http://t.co/SI6ewgslGm
7.08pm BST7.08pm BST
19:0819:08
...followed by a nice pop at his predecessors (such as Antonis Samaras, who blasted Tsipras on Bloomberg TV today)...followed by a nice pop at his predecessors (such as Antonis Samaras, who blasted Tsipras on Bloomberg TV today)
#Tsipras now, ANT1 TV: It never crossed my mind to do what other PMs did: come back (from negotiations) with a non sustainable deal. #Greece#Tsipras now, ANT1 TV: It never crossed my mind to do what other PMs did: come back (from negotiations) with a non sustainable deal. #Greece
7.07pm BST7.07pm BST
19:0719:07
7.03pm BST7.03pm BST
19:0319:03
A punchy soundbite:A punchy soundbite:
Either you give in to ultimatums or you opt for #democracy. The Greek people can't be bled dry any longer. #Greece #Greferendum #OXIEither you give in to ultimatums or you opt for #democracy. The Greek people can't be bled dry any longer. #Greece #Greferendum #OXI
7.02pm BST
19:02
No early surprises from Alexis Tsipras in tonight’s speech (online here).
He’s insisting that Greeks will be voting for Democracy and justice in Europe on Sunday (if they vote no). OXI does not equal Grexit, he vows.
Voting #OXI / NO on a solution that isn't viable doesn't mean saying NO to Europe. It means demanding a solution that's realistic. #Greece
And he’s also repeating his criticism of Greece’s lenders, for failing to compromise:
Austerity only serves to further the crisis. Workers and pensioners can no longer shoulder the burden. #Greece #Greferendum #dimopsifisma
6.56pm BST
18:56
Tsipras TV interview
Oh, one last thing...Alexis Tsipras is giving an interview on Antenna TV now.
It’s being streamed live here. We’re keeping an eye for any major announcements...
Σε λίγο, συνέντευξη στον ΑΝΤ1 & στη δημοσιογράφο Μαρία Χούκλη. #Greece pic.twitter.com/MildUJ0jgH
Updated
at 7.03pm BST
5.47pm BST
17:47
Helena Smith
The Greek government has just announced that a number of leading musicians, singers and actors will stage a concert when a huge “no” rally is held in Syntagma square in front of the parliament tomorrow night, reports Helena Smith.
“The big no rally will be a big festival of the people,” the ruling radical left Syriza party announced in a statement. “We will respond to the scene of fear that they want to impose with our songs, with our strong voice.”
“In Sunday’s referendum with a proud OXI (no) we will write history. We will say the OXI of our life in order for life to emerge victorious.”
What is sure is that the language is becoming ever more colourful.
Meanwhile Aegean Airways has also just announced that it will be putting on extra flights to enable Greeks living in London and Brussels to vote in Sunday’s plebiscite.
There will be additional flights on Sunday and Monday it says - and at cut prices:
€199 return to Brussels and £148 return to London.
And on that note we’ll close up for the evening, pending any major developments later. Thanks for all your comments, and we’ll be back tomorrow, counting down to Sunday’s key referendum.
5.37pm BST
17:37
John Hooper has been sounding out voters in the villages of Corinthia. Read his piece here:
Related: MPs canvas vociferous voters in Corinthia, weather vane of Greek politics
Updated
at 5.38pm BST
5.34pm BST
17:34
Voters won’t be able to miss this:
5.29pm BST
17:29
Even a yes vote in Sunday’s referendum may not be enough to keep Greece in the euro, says Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser at Allianz. Commenting on the International Monetary Fund’s report, he says:
The IMF’s DSA (debt sustainability analysis) for Greece offers a stark reminder of the challenges faced by all those involved in this horrid tragedy.
It points to an enormous need for economic reforms by a country that – repeatedly – has had huge difficulties sustaining a less ambitious effort under several governments.
It speaks to the need for Europe to bite the bullet and deliver a credible “debt operation” (which, most probably, would involve debt forgiveness, the very mention of which has proven an anathema to some European governments).
And all this would need to happen if the IMF (and soon, possibly, also the ECB) is to stand a chance of being paid back in a full and more timely fashion.
While all sides are likely to use the IMF’s DSA to bolster their case ahead of Sunday’s referendum, it is increasingly possible that even a “yes” vote would prove insufficient to maintain the country’s membership of the European single currency.
Every single day, an already challenging situation on the ground is slipping further away from the ability of politicians, whether in Greece or elsewhere in Europe, to deliver outcomes.
5.19pm BST
17:19
European markets have ended lower ahead of the key Greek referendum decision at the weekend, with an exception being the FTSE 100 which has been lifted by BP agreeing to pay US authorities around $18.7bn relating to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
5.00pm BST
17:00
ECB board member Josef Bonnici said the terms of any future emergency funding it offered to Greek banks - including the amount of collateral - would depend on the outcome of the referendum.
Asked by reporters in Milan if a win for the no supporters meant the emergency liquidity assistance would end, he said:
“Let’s wait and see what the result is.”
He added that the ELA was not an infinite fund.
(Quotes via Reuters)
4.50pm BST
16:50
Helena Smith
Over in Athens the Greek government spokeman, Gavriel Sakellarides, has reacted to the onslaught of support former prime ministers have made for the yes campaign today. Our correspondent Helena Smith reports:
Growing numbers in the governing Syriza party are now saying openly that the no campaign is being deliberately targeted by what the left-leaning paper Syntaktwn described as “a machine of terror” in its front page splash today.
Echoing those sentiments, the government spokeman issued the following statement.
“We are watching a crush of former prime minister and political figures rushing to defend a yes vote to the proposal of lenders. That’s their right.”
“However it is also the right of the people not to forget them. And to decide over their dignity and interests undistracted from the blackmail and unprecedented propaganda.”
Syriza took the step this afternoon of expanding its no campaign beyond the borders of Greece by publishing a “letter of solidarity to the Greek people” signed by 400 Italian academics.
Earlier, it published a proclamation signed by 300 members of the academy in Greece also supporting the government’s no campaign.
“In the referendum on Sunday 5th July we will vote OXI (No),” the academics said. “Because we can no longer bear to see Greek society collapsing under the weight of the merciless continuation of the policies of austerity that manifestly is leading the economy ever more deeply into the vicious cycle of recession from which it is never going to emerge.”
Updated
at 5.05pm BST
4.47pm BST
16:47
Greece’s banks have come under more pressure from ratings agencies, not altogether surprisingly.
Fitch has downgraded the long-term senior debt rating of National Bank of Greece and Eurobank Ergasias from CCC to CC.
Meanwhile Moody’s says it has put the ratings of National Bank of Greece, Piraeus Bank, Eurobank Ergasias, Alpha Bank and Attica Bank on review for a possible downgrade.