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WORLD NEWSThursday 23 July 2015

Greece tackles final reform hurdle before new bailout talks

Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras speaks during an emergency parliament session in trayal of the anti-austerity eventually tap bond mar-
Athens, Thursday, July 23, 2015. Greek lawmakers launched a late-night debate Wednesday on platform that brought their kets again.
further reforms demanded by international creditors in return for a third multi-billion-euro bailout, Syriza party to power in Before the debate got
with attention focusing on government dissenters who have vowed to reject the measures. January. underway, about 10,000
Addressing parliament, people demonstrated out-
(AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Tsipras said the reforms side parliament, protest-
were a necessary price to ing the latest measures to
M. HADJICOSTIS on government dissenters eurozone opposition par- pay to keep Greece alive overhaul Greece’s judicial
N. PAPHITIS who have vowed to reject ties. Failure to do so would after stormy talks with its and banking sectors. Mi-
Associated Press the measures. derail the bailout and re- creditors nearly collapsed nor violence marred the
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Despite the revolt in Prime kindle fears over Greece’s earlier this month. end of the protest when a
Greek lawmakers debated Minister Alexis Tsipras’ own future in the shared euro “There is no doubt that the few teenagers threw petrol
into the early hours Thurs- party, parliament is ex- currency. process we are following bombs at riot police, but
day on further reforms de- pected to approve the As with last week’s vote, today ... is not a normal no injuries or arrests were
manded by international draft legislation in the sec- Tsipras’ main problem lies process,” he told lawmak- reported.
creditors in return for a third ond such crucial vote in with hard-line lawmakers ers. “But the essence is that Negotiations with creditors
multi-billion-euro bailout, a week — and again with in his party, many of whom ... we were led to a tough are expected to start soon
with attention focusing broad support from pro- see the reforms as a be- compromise, on the ba- after the latest package of
sis of which we are sum- reforms is approved.
moned today to legislate The radical left-led govern-
under a state of emergen- ment hopes the new bail-
cy.” out talks can conclude be-
He also ruled out resigning. fore Aug. 20, when Greece
“The presence of the left in must repay a debt worth
this government isn’t about more than 3 billion euros
the pursuit of office, it’s a ($3.3 billion) to the Europe-
bastion from which to fight an Central Bank.
for our people’s interests,” On Wednesday, the ECB
he said. “And as far as I’m provided a new vital cash
concerned, I won’t aban- injection to Greece’s bat-
don this bastion, at least of tered banks. A European
my own free will.” banking official told The
Tsipras said approval would Associated Press the ECB
give Greece breathing decided to increase emer-
room to quash specula- gency liquidity to Greek
tion that the country will banks by 900 million euros
be forced to abandon the ($980 million) — the sec-
euro, and help it regain ond such cash injection in
market confidence and just under a week.q

Tony Blair warns UK’s Labour: Left turn will lose voters

JILL LAWLESS ror of party chiefs and the Voters handed Prime Min- fashioned leftist platform” is an unresolved identity
Associated Press delight of political oppo- ister David Cameron’s of tax-and-spend policies crisis. Labour was built as
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s nents. party another five-year would alienate voters just the party of the industrial
Labour Party lost the elec- The strongly anti-austerity term, convinced by its as it did during the 1980s, working class, then trans-
tion. Now it is losing its way, Jeremy Corbyn has risen argument that spending when Labour floundered formed by Blair and his
careening into a crisis that to second-favorite among cuts were needed to re- as Conservative Prime “New Labour” colleagues
could rip apart a party four candidates in book- duce a huge deficit creat- Minister Margaret Thatch- to embrace private invest-
that governed for long makers’ odds, behind ed by Labour’s economic er moved Britain’s econo- ment, personal wealth
stretches of the 20th cen- more centrist legislator mismanagement. my to the right. and the financial sector.
tury. Andy Burnham, as he wins Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who left office in 2007, Blair’s approach gave La-
Labour is seeking a new over a growing number of Blair, who led Labour to told the party to “move on bour 13 years in power be-
leader to help it regain disillusioned Labour mem- three consecutive elec- — but for heaven’s sake tween 1997 and 2010. But
voters’ trust, and an old- bers. tion victories, made a rare don’t move back.” many members believe
school socialist lawmaker Labour lost power in 2010, return to British politics All parties go through soul- the party has abandoned
who has never held gov- and was trounced by the Wednesday to warn his old searching after losing an its principles. And many
ernment office has gone Conservatives on May 7 party that Labour needs election, but Labour’s cri- have not forgiven Blair for
from longshot to apparent in an election polls had to “win from the center.” sis is more profound. At taking Britain into the U.S.-
contender— to the hor- predicted would be close. He said adopting an “old- the heart of the problem led Iraq war.q