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WORLD NEWSThursday 28 May 2015
Greece says deal with bailout creditors is close Dutch police hold
motorcycle gang
NICHOLAS PAPHITIS Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, right, is welcomed by Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis, members in raids
Associated Press during his visit at the Finance Ministry in Athens Wednesday, May 27, 2015. Tsipras said
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Wednesday that his country is close to reaching a deal with bailout creditors. MIKE CORDER
Greece’s prime minister Associated Press
said Wednesday that his (Costas Baltas/InTime News via AP) THE HAGUE, Netherlands
country is close to reaching (AP) — Dutch police de-
a deal with bailout credi- Bank — “that have often a debt repayment as soon lier, a Greek government tained 20 people Wednes-
tors, prompting European conflicting opinions.” as next week. official said the putative day, 14 of them members
stock markets to jump on Greek and European The main Athens stock in- deal would include debt- of the Bandidos motor-
hopes of a breakthrough in stocks rallied earlier dex rallied to close up 3.6 restructuring, sales tax re- cycle gang, and seized
the slow-moving, often ac- Wednesday when govern- percent, with most of the forms, balanced budgets weapons including five
rimonious talks. ment officials said nego- gains registered just be- and a cut in early retire- rocket-propelled grenade
Alexis Tsipras spoke shortly tiators will start drafting a fore closing. Other Euro- ments. The official, who launchers and six automat-
before Greek negotiators staff-level agreement with pean markets also posted spoke on customary condi- ic handguns.
were due to meet in Brus- bailout creditors in Brussels gains, with Germany’s up tion of anonymity, insisted The discoveries came in a
sels with representatives to unlock aid that would 1.3 percent and France’s it would not involve further coordinated series of raids
of the bailout creditors allow the country to make bouncing 2.1 percent. Ear- pension or salary cuts.q involving riot police, spe-
— whose cash has kept cialist arrest squads and a
Greece from bankruptcy police helicopter that tar-
for the past five years. geted 30 locations in the
“We have taken very many southern Netherlands and
steps. We are in the home also spread into neighbor-
stretch, close to the final ing Belgium and Germany.
agreement,” Tsipras told Maastricht Mayor Onno
reporters, after a meeting Hoes said police “took
at the finance ministry in tough action that was
Athens. absolutely necessary to
“I believe that very soon restore public order” in
we will be able to present a region that has been
new information.” plagued in recent months
But he warned stumbling by violence blamed on ri-
blocks remain, as Greece val motorcycle gangs.
is dealing with three differ- Police and prosecutors
ent creditor institutions — said that members of mo-
the International Monetary torcycle gangs are “heav-
Fund, European Commis- ily involved in criminal ...
sion and European Central activity in the areas of
weapons, drugs and intimi-
G-7 leaders meet to discuss how to help growth dation.”
The 19 men and one wom-
DAVID McHUGH find a solution to Greece’s Officials from host coun- first formal working sessions an detained Wednesday
Associated Press financial problems and will try Germany, which has were scheduled for Thurs- are suspected of crimes
DRESDEN, Germany (AP) seek ways to cut off financ- the rotating leadership of day. The United States, including drug trafficking,
— Top finance officials ing for extremist organiza- the G-7, said the meeting represented by Treasury extortion and money laun-
from the Group of Seven tions such as the Islamic over three days through Secretary Jacob Lew, has dering, prosecutor Roger
wealthy democracies are State group. Friday was envisioned as pressed for countries run- Bos said at a news confer-
gathering in Germany Ahead of the meeting, a relaxed discussion forum ning trade and budget sur- ence.
this week to discuss ways activists urging more help to set up decisions and pluses to do more to stimu- As well as the weapons and
to strengthen the global for poor countries floated positions to be taken at a late economic demand. large amounts of ammuni-
economy. large balloons bearing the June 7-8 summit of heads Germany, which is running tion, police uncovered a
U.S. officials are pressing faces of government lead- of state and government a large trade surplus and drug laboratory, chemicals
countries such as Germany ers next to Dresden’s histor- at the Schloss Elmau resort has balanced its budget, used to make synthetic
that have strong finances ic Frauenkirche, or Church outside Munich. has firmly resisted calls to drugs, counterfeit money,
to invest more to stimulate of Our Lady, urging the The finance officials were relax its budget discipline, stolen cars and a cannabis
their economies. They’re meeting to produce more to meet over dinner saying avoiding new debt plantation, Limburg police
urging European leaders to than “hot air.” Wednesday evening. The is the prudent course.q chief Gery Veldhuis said.q
