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WORLD NEWSWednesday 4 November
Commissioner says Greece, creditors can reach deal in days
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — But Moscovici voiced con- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, left, meets with European that the year-end dead-
A top European official fidence that a compro- Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Mosco- line can be met.
said Tuesday that Greece mise will be found ahead vici in Athens, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. Moscovici’s talks with Tsakalotos said he expects
and its European credi- of Monday’s meeting of officials in Greece’s leftwing government will focus on the prog- talks can start in Decem-
tors should be able, by finance ministers from ress of reforms demanded by the country’s European creditors ber on cutting Greece’s
next week, to iron out dis- Greece’s eurozone part- in return for a third multi-billion euro bailout. huge debt load, probably
agreements on reforms the ners. through generous repay-
country must undertake to “We are not considering (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) ment extensions and rate
receive a new rescue loan the case of failure, we are cuts.
installment. looking only for success,” country’s expulsion from end of this year to save de- “I am confident that the
Financial and economic he said, after talks in Athens the eurozone. positors with over 100,000 discussion will start before
affairs commissioner Pierre with Greek Finance Minister The next step will be to start euros in the bank from be- Christmas — I cannot of
Moscovici said that while Euclid Tsakalotos. negotiations on how to ing forced to contribute to course guarantee that it
significant progress has A successful outcome lower Greece’s debilitat- the recapitalization.“We will end before Christmas
been made so far, “three would allow Greece’s ing debt pile, and on in- are all aware that further because it is a complicat-
or four” issues remain unre- creditors to unlock a 2 bil- jecting taxpayer funds into measures will have to be ed issue,” he said.
solved. lion-euro ($2.4-billion) loan Greece’s battered banking adopted in coming days “If there is good faith on
These include measures to installment, and resume system — a process which and weeks,” Moscovici both sides there are many
protect Greek-mortgage talks on further reforms on must be completed by the said, voicing confidence technical solutions to ad-
holders from foreclosures, which another 1 billion eu- dress the issue of the debt,
as well as whether sales tax ros in rescue loans is con- but if there is no good faith
will be imposed on private tingent. The money comes I can think of arguments
education — from kinder- from the third bailout deal against any solution what-
gartens and schools to mu- Greece signed in the sum- soever.”
sic, language and dancing mer, after months of dith- Moscovici met Prime Min-
lessons. ering that nearly led to the ister Alexis Tsipras earlier
Tuesday. On Wednesday,
he is due to see Labor Min-
ister Giorgos Katrougalos,
who faces the daunting
task of reforming the coun-
try’s moribund pension sys-
tem. q
Iraq’s Ahmad Chalabi, voice behind 2003 war, dies
S. SALAHEDDIN who viewed him as a favor- Associated Press. “He was
Associated Press ite to lead Iraq. one of the most seasoned
BAGHDAD (AP) — Ahmad However, he had a falling and pioneering politicians.
Chalabi, a prominent Iraqi out with the Pentagon af- Chalabi worked for a dem-
politician who became a ter the invasion, and was ocratic, liberal Iraq ... I am
Pentagon favorite when he largely sidelined by other glad he died peacefully.”
helped convince the Bush Iraqi leaders, many with But Robert Baer, a former
administration to overthrow close ties to neighboring CIA officer who met with
Saddam Hussein in 2003 by Iran. Chalabi had most re- Chalabi repeatedly in the
pushing false allegations of cently been serving as the mid-1990s and in the lead-
weapons of mass destruc- chairman of parliament’s up to the 2003 war, called
tion and links to al-Qaida, finance committee, and him a “con man” who was
died Tuesday of a heart at- was previously a deputy able to manipulate Ameri-
tack. He was 71. prime minister. can politicians.
Iraqi state TV said he died To his supporters in Iraq, “He was the most charm-
in Baghdad but did not Chalabi was a campaign- ing man I’ve had to deal
provide further details. er for democracy who with at the CIA and the
Chalabi, a secular Shiite deserves credit for Sad- most educated,” Baer told
politician who lived in exile dam’s removal. “It is a very the AP. “He understood
for decades, was a leading bad day for Iraq,” Shiite American politics and he
proponent of the invasion lawmaker Muwaffak al- understood the American
and had close ties to many Rubaie, a former national political narrative better
in the Bush administration, security adviser, told The than most Americans.”q
