Greece Premier Alexis Tsipras will ask Brussels Tuesday for a seven-billion euro bridge loan, possibly within the next 48 hours, to meet emergency needs and debt repayments in order to avoid default, sources told ANSA.
An Italian member of the European Parliament told ANSA Tuesday that EC President Jean-Claude Juncker was developing such a bridge loan.
"The immediate goal is to save Greece from bankruptcy...every minute is precious," said Gianni Pittella, who heads the EU parliament's Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group.
"Athens immediately needs help".
Tspiras pledged on Monday to present new proposals on how to resume negotiations aimed at finding ways around the crisis in his country.
That followed Sunday's referendum in Greece where voters rejected an earlier proposal from creditors.
Eurozone finance ministers were scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon on the subject to be followed later in the day by an emergency session of eurozone leaders to find an agreement to keep Greece in the eurozone while it also repays its debts.
Amid the political turmoil, financial market authorities announced that the Athens Stock Exchange will be closed through Wednesday.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Tuesday that he will work to avoid a Greek exit from the eurozone as long as it is possible. "I want to avoid the Grexit, I'm against it. I'll try to avoid it right until the end," Juncker said. Greek Premier Alexis Tsipras has said he will present new proposals at an emergency summit of eurozone leaders on Tuesday after the nation voted to reject creditors' proposals to avert a default on Sunday. "There are those who are betting on a Greek exit," he added.
Juncker added that "the Greek government must tell us how it wants to get out of this situation". He said that "concrete proposals" were needed from Athens and played down hopes of agreement being reached on Tuesday when there will be a Eurogroup meeting and an emergency summit of eurozone government leaders. "You cannot resolve the situation in one night," Juncker said.
Juncker also stressed that the Greek people "voted No to a text that is no longer on the table" referring to last weekend's referendum. He added that, while "we certainly respect" the outcome, he "did not understand" the question put to the Greek people.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
