Greek parties hold crisis talks with president

Syriza's young leader Alexis Tsipras (right)�arrived first, followed by Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

Turbulence in Greece has echoed around the world. Picture: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris Source: Herald Sun

• Greece looks to form two-year interim government
• It's hoped such a move would keep them in the euro
• The political impasse must be overcome by Thursday

THE leaders of Greece's top three political parties today held talks with President Karolos Papoulias in a final bid to form an emergency coalition and avert new elections that could derail reforms.

The leaders of conservative New Democracy, socialist Pasok and Syriza, a radical leftist party that wants to reject Greece's EU-IMF loan deal, arrived for the talks today, TV footage showed.

Syriza's young leader Alexis Tsipras arrived first, followed by Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos and New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras.

Smiling and looking relaxed, Tsipras sat himself opposite Venizelos and Samaras, who looked glum as the meeting began.

On his way into the presidential mansion, Samaras told reporters that he would aim for the formation of a two-year interim coalition government that will keep Greece in the euro.

"The Greek people have given us a mandate to cooperate in order to change policy whilst staying in the euro. A mandate to cooperate for a viable government at least until European parliament elections [in 2014]," Samaras said.

The meeting under Papoulias, the Greek head of state, constitutes the country's last hope to avoid fresh polls after May 6's indecisive election.

The political impasse must be overcome by Thursday, when parliament convenes, or new elections will have to be called in June.

The president will later meet separately with heads of smaller parties elected to parliament, including the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn, his office said.

Papoulias on Saturday said there were "grains of optimism" that a coalition could be formed between the conservatives, the socialists and the small pro-European Democratic Left party, according to his office.

But the Democratic Left has previously said it would not join a government made up of only Pasok and New Democracy and which did not include Syriza, the radical leftist party that opposes the ?240 billion ($311 billion) EU-IMF bailout for Greece.

The country's international creditors have warned that no new loan payments will be forthcoming if Greece falters on structural reforms required to put the economy in order after decades of overspending by the state.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/newscomaumostpopularworldndm/~3/3cjMucjWWEA/story01.htm

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