Monthly Archives: June 2015

Toorak mansion could be Australia’s dearest home

In a month when housing affordability has been a hotly-contested topic, one eminent Greek Australian may have set a new benchmark for size, price and luxuriousness.

After three years of building, property developer Harry Stamoulis is close to being handed the keys to his new home – Australia’s largest residential construction.

The St Georges Road property in Melbourne, built on the former Baillieu family estate, is understood to span some 3,200 square metres, with a grand ballroom, five bedrooms, two kitchens, and nine bathrooms, along with an indoor swimming pool and staff quarters.

Mr Stamoulis paid $24 million for the land in 2010, and the mansion’s epic build is believed to have added at least another $40 millionto the final cost. One report suggests cabinetry in the kitchen alone is said to have cost $2 million.

Greek themes reportedly run throughout the property, with Fairfax’s Domain newspaper saying the house’s Hellenic credentials including a meandros – a Greek repeated motif – with arcs around the imposing front doors, plus intricate sculptures of entwined human figures and horses.

Since 2012 an army of builders under the management of Krongold Constructions, has been working on the property, its subterannean basement and the outlying grounds.

Landscape designer to the rich and famous, Paul Bangay, is understood to have been commissioned to shape the Mediterranean-style gardens which include a rectangular pond, tennis court, and shaded pergolas.

The house’s grand colonnade facade some suggest bears a resemblance to the Greek Parliament in Athens’ Syntagma Square.

Nearby on Saint Georges Road, businessman and philanthropist Daniel Besen is building another modern mansion which is believed to have an underground art gallery.

Prestige buyers advocate David Morrell told Fairfax Media that the super wealthy in Melbourne are “land banking” adjoining blocks to create a new wave of family compounds.

Mr Morrell said multiple blocks in suburbs like Toorak cost a premium, because they are few and tightly held by establishment families through generations.

“It is an expensive business, first you have to collect the land and often people won’t want to sell, so it’s not for the faint hearted,” he said.

In 2013 Harry Stamoulis sold his luxury penthouse in the Royal Domain Tower on St Kilda Road to retail magnate Solomon Lew for $13.3 million.

BRW estimates the Stamoulis family’s wealth to be $540 million. Its origins lie in the Gold Metal Soft Drink company, established by Harry Stamoulis’ late father Spiros.

source: Neos Kosmos

Shangri-La Hotel’s award-winning chef, Anna Polyviou, talks to Neos Kosmos about her sweet success.

A Greek Cypriot is shaking up Sydney’s dessert scene, changing what we think of pastry making. Anna Polyviou is Shangri-La Hotel’s executive pastry chef and has received many accolades for her talent of putting together complex yet refreshing and incredibly flavorsome desserts that look like mini artifacts. Anna has written several cookbooks, worked with famous international culinary magazines and is the founder of Sydney Pastry Club.

She kick-started her career as an apprentice at Hotel Sofitel Melbourne and soon became a chef, but was mostly interested in partying rather than cooking, and nearly lost her job. At one point she was asked to enter a pastry competition for the sake of her team. She started training in sweets and the more involved in pastry she became, the more she loved it. Not long after, Anna was awarded the title of best apprentice in the hotel, which led to winning the Les Toque competition for best apprentice within Victoria. The prize was a scholarship at London’s University of Culinary Arts in pastry along with a position at Claridges Hotel. Polyviou won gold medals in different culinary competitions, and won a trophy for Best Dessert in the UK. This award gave her the opportunity to move to Paris and work with legendary chocolatier Pierre Herme.

“I then returned to Australia and did another competition for best plated chocolate dessert, won that and got a trip to Chicago to do training,” says Polyviou, who spent five years as the pastry chef at Sydney’s famous Bathers Pavilion.

The multi-awarded chef couldn’t stay away from home, as her dream is to showcase pastry lovers it is possible to create edible art and develop Shangri-La Hotel’s ‘dessert degustation events’ which currently have a 200-strong waiting list nearing $200 per person. With her recipes, she tries to influence people’s emotions by infusing doses of concentrated happiness in her dishes.

“I feel extremely proud not only to be with a well-recognised brand but also getting people excited about what my team and I create whilst enjoying the music by my personal DJ,” she says.

“It is amazing to have other hotels talk about what we do here, our life-size gingerbread houses, the street festival, the dessert evenings.”

Being a renegade hasn’t always been a walk in the park for Anna, as her innovative ideas – not to mention her rad look – weren’t accepted without a fight. Even Shangri-La Hotel asked her to remove her piercings, cover her bleached blonde mohawk and say goodbye to her colourful G-Shock watches and high-top sneakers in the kitchen. However, the pastry chef worked even harder to prove that her unique and sometimes controversial attitude was necessary to take things not one, but several steps further. Polyviou became a social media sensation in her own right and her ‘degustation events’ took Sydney’s Shangri-La fame to a whole new level.

“The physical aspect of me walking into Shangri-La – not just my kitchen, [but] the way I look – that was hard at first, as they didn’t share the same vision of where I wanted to take the hotel,” she admits.

“I wanted to bring a point of difference, build a motivated and influential team and have everyone talking about us. Sweet Street, the dessert degustations, the walk in ginger bread house … they didn’t get it.

“A year later it’s all changed … after receiving such amazing feedback from media and individuals, hundreds of new guests are arriving to become part of this unique experience.”

Polyviou’s creativity – along with her team of ten talented pastry chefs – has introduced Sydney’s foodies to mouth-watering macarons, handmade chocolate bonbons and high-end desserts available at Café Mix, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant. Shangri-La also offers High Tea and Chocolate High Tea evenings at the Lobby Lounge where Anna exhibits her “sexy pieces of sweet art”.

“I love creating delicious but visually attractive … sexy desserts bursting with fun and flavour,” she muses.

“To me, cooking is an ongoing process, like everything. For example, I first made my now world-famous carrot cake five years ago, but I did not do chocolate work and graffiti until recently to give it that extra form of excitement and cool cutting edge.”

Anna’s carrot cake won best dessert in Australia and was featured on this season’s hardest MasterChef elimination challenge, which has brought her career to a whole new level. Polyviou, however, has a soft spot for ‘Anna’s Mess’, Shangri-La’s signature dessert.

“It’s this beautiful round sphere mould, with holes cut out, which once crashed, makes you sprinkle from test tube pop rocks mixing with the fresh fruity ingredients and chocolate.

“It portrays the only way to eat and actually enjoy it; that is, to create a mess.”

The passion for food has always been there for Anna, even though she initially wanted to be a cartoonist. She then switched to break-dancing until she decided to become a chef and combine all forms of entertainment in her work.

“As a Greek Cypriot I have always been around food and of course thinking of food,” says Polyviou, whose favourite dish is stuffed zucchini flowers with yoghurt on the side.

“Mum would wake up and her first question would be what we want to have for dinner. My Sunday afternoons were a small family gathering of 50 people.”
The famous chef is proud of her heritage and loves all things Hellenic. She tries to stay strongly connected to her identity and preserve her family’s traditions.

“I never take my cross off and still go to church, even if I receive those stares.

“I just brush it off,” she says.

Meanwhile, she has decided to follow George Calombaris’ advice on creating her own versions of traditional desserts like the popular ‘Loukou-Annas’, a loukoumades-like sweet delight with candy popcorn and Nutella sauce in a pipette.

“I’m now looking at doing a Greek festival, and at the same time, bringing more Greek desserts into the hotel to share the great memories I have from my childhood with the rest of the world.

“I believe if you have been brought up well in that amazing cultural environment it will, and it should definitely, be passed on.”

*For more recipes, along with video clip tutorials, head over to http://www.annapolyviou.com

source:Neos Kosmos

The committee Jim (Dimitrios) Koutsoukos, Stella Dimadis and Katerina Kotsonis.

Winners will receive a cash prize of $1000

The 6th Greek Australian Short Film Festival taking place later this year is calling for submissions.

This is an exciting event, supporting filmmakers from around the globe who are Greek or of Greek decent and covers all genres including animation.

Set to screen as part of the Greek Film Festival in Australia, the event runs in all major cities and so is a great opportunity and platform for filmmakers to share their work with a large and wide ranging audience.

There will be a National (Australian) and an International category, with each recipient of Best Film in their respective sections receiving a cash prize of $1000.

Films will be judged by prominent Greek Australians from the media and entertainment industry.

To be considered for the festival the short film must meet ONE of the following requirements:

– One or more of the line creatives (writers, producers, directors) are Greek or of Greek heritage
– The film is thematically Greek in nature
– A lead actor is Greek or of Greek heritage.

To submit your submission, visit http://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01over.php?festival_id=1…

For further enquiries, email greekaustshortfilmfestival@gmail.com or visit http://www.facebook.com/GreekAustralianShortFilmFestival

When: Submission deadline is Friday 31 July, 2015

Where: Nationally and worldwide

source:Neos Kosmos

A three-tonne basking shark has been caught by a trawler off the coast of Victoria.

The gentle giant, which is a slow-moving plankton feeder, has been donated by fishermen to Museum Victoria for scientific research.

The shark was accidentally caught by a fishing trawler in western Bass Strait and Museum Victoria scientists travelled to Portland to measure and take samples from the body.

The head and fins have been taken to build a full-scale exhibition model.

It is the second biggest shark species in the world, after the whale shark, but very little is known about the species, the museum says.

The shark can grow up to 12 metres in length and is listed as a vulnerable species due to the shark fin trade.

Museum Victoria has only encountered three of the sharks in more than 160 years of documenting Victoria’s wildlife.

source:9news.com.au

DRIVERS will fork out up to $3 extra each time they fill up — to provide $1 billion for suburban and rural roads projects.

The Abbott Government has done a deal with Labor to increase the tax paid on petrol, in a move that will cost the ­average motorist about $325 more over the next four years.

The pact means petrol tax will now rise in line with inflation twice a year, in February and August.

It had been frozen for almost 15 years.

The Government calculates a typical household using 50 ­litres of fuel a week would pay a “modest” 40c extra a week, but motoring groups predict it will be closer to $3 a tank.

The tax rise is expected to raise an extra $23 billion over 10 years.

Local councils, to benefit from $1.1 billion for roads over the next two years, said it would boost local economies and create jobs.

But the Australian Automobile Association slammed the move as unfair given the “enormous amount” of taxes motorists already paid.

“Australian motorists currently pay more than $15 billion in fuel excise every year and, over the past two decades, less than half of this money has been committed to transport funding,” said its chief executive, Michael Bradley.

In a high-risk move, the Government dodged a Senate blockade in November by using a regulation instead of a law to lift the fuel duty from 38.143 cents per litre to 38.6 cents per litre.

However, if it had not won support from either Labor, the Greens or the Senate crossbench, it would have been forced to pay back the money collected — but to the oil companies, not motorists.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who previously ­described the increase as a “big tax on everything” and a “rotten idea”, said his party had faced a “difficult” choice.

“In a beauty parade, ­between giving money to the oil companies and putting money back into Australian roads, generating jobs and confidence, it is clear which way Labor has to go,” Mr Shorten said.

Australian Local Government Association president Troy Pickard said the deal was welcome after councils were hit with $925 million worth of cuts by the Federal Government’s Budget move to freeze the indexation of Financial ­Assistance Grants.

The average price of ­unleaded across Melbourne yesterday was $1.32 a litre.

source:heraldsun.com.au

Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem has said the new proposals from the Greek government which came in early on Monday were “a positive step” in the process and that it was possible to reach a deal within the week.

Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem has said the new proposals from the Greek government which came in early on Monday were “a positive step” in the process and that it was possible to reach a deal within the week.

“New proposal from the Greek government came in this morning which we welcomed today, which was seen as a positive step in the process,” Dijsselbloem said in a press conference after a short Eurogroup meeting in Brussels.

“The Eurogroup has urged the institutions to work closely together with the Greek authorities to start immediately to go into the proposals, getting all the specifics and doing the calculations on them … and all of these with a view if possible to reach an agreement later this week, using the Greek proposals as basis for that,” Xinhua quoted Dijsselbloem as saying.

He said if all goes well the Eurogroup will have another meeting later this week to hear the final outcome of the Greek authorities.

“As I said, it’s a welcome step, and we consider it a positive direction, so I think it’s also an opportunity to get this deal later this week,” Dijsselbloem added.

“We looked at the proposals very quickly, it’s a good basis for work, work so have to be done on clarifying things and specify things, and check the overall consistency,” said European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici.

Moscovici also noted that the evening European Union summit was expected to provide political basis for future negotiations.

European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis confirmed there’ll be another Eurogroup this week through his twitter.

“Greece proposals a welcome step but more work together with institutions needed. Eurogroup to reconvene this week. We need a deal in coming days,” he said in his Twitter feed.

Monday was widely seen as a decisive day for Greece to avoid default. The crucial Eurogroup meeting may be the last opportunity for Greece and its international creditors to bridge the gaps over debt talks.

Talks over Greek debt issue have been in deadlock for five months. The European Commission, the International Monatary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB) are unwilling to unlock the final 7.2 billion euros ($8.2 billion) tranche of bailout funds until Greece agrees to economic reforms.

On June 30, the extension of Greece’s second bailout expires. Without a deal by then Athens may not cover a 1.5-billion-euro loan installment payment to the IMF due by the same day. The country will risk a default and exit from the Euro Zone.

source:financialexpress.com

The wife of notorious foreign fighter Khaled Sharrouf has been told to approach the Australian Federal Police if she and her children want to return to Australia.

The mother of Tara Nettleton has pleaded with Prime Minister Tony Abbott to allow her and the couple’s five children to come home, after the likely death of Sharrouf in Iraq.

“My daughter has made the mistake of a lifetime,” her mother Karen said in a statement.

“Mr Abbott, I beg you, please help bring my child and grandchildren home.”

Tara Nettleton is believed to be seeking to return from Syria with the couple’s children, including a daughter who was married to Mohamed Elomar and a son photographed last year holding a severed head.

Sharrouf and fellow fighter Elomar are believed to have been killed in a wave of coalition airstrikes in northern Iraq.

The government has refused to say whether authorities are in discussion with Nettleton or her relatives in Australia, but insisted the full force of the law would apply to anyone who has joined terrorist groups.

However Mr Abbott says he does feel for the couple’s children. “I suppose at one level, yes, but on the other hand, we have to appreciate the scale of the evil which has been practised here,” he told the Nine Network this morning.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says the family should make contact with the Australian Federal Police instead of conducting its discussion through the media.

Both he and Mr Abbott warned the law would apply to anyone supporting terrorists and that they would face “significant consequences” if they returned to Australia.

“These aren’t the first evil murderers to have had families,” Mr Abbott told the Seven Network.

“They would be dealt in the same way that families of criminals are dealt with.”

Mr Dutton described the case of the family as a “complicated mess” of Sharrouf and his wife’s making.

He feels some sympathy for the children but also understands concerns within the Australian community about them interacting with other kids back here.

Mr Abbott says the government has a high degree of confidence that Elomar is dead but is yet to confirm Sharrouf’s fate.

Karen Nettleton says her daughter is a parent alone in a foreign and vicious land looking after a widowed 14-year-old and four other young children.

“I accept that some will be critical of my daughter, who followed her heart and has paid an enormous price.”

source:theaustralian.com.au

Στις Βρυξέλλες μεταβαίνει εκ νέου αύριο Τετάρτη ο Πρωθυπουργός Αλέξης Τσίπρας στο «παρά ένα» των κρίσιμων διαβουλεύσεων.

Σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες του ειδησεογραφικού πρακτορείου MNI, ο πρόεδρος της Κομισιόν Ζαν Κλόντ Γιούνκερ, προσκάλεσε τον Αλέξη Τσίπρα στην βελγική πρωτεύουσα αύριο προκειμένου να έχουν συνομιλίες.

Εξάλλου, σύμφωνα με τις πηγές του MNI, στις Βρυξέλλες θα συναντηθούν αύριο Τετάρτη, οι εκπρόσωποι των θεσμών, ήτοι ο πρόεδρος της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής Ζαν Κλόντ Γιούνκερ, η επικεφαλής της ΔΝΤ Κριστίν Λαγκάρντ και ο επικεφαλής της ΕΚΤ Μάριο Ντράγκι.

Οι πυρετώδεις διαβουλεύσεις στόχο έχουν να έχει υπάρξει η τελική συμφωνία την οποία θα εγκρίνει το Eurogroup που συνέρχεται αύριο στις Βρυξέλλες στις 20:00 ώρα Ελλάδος και εν συνεχεία, θα εγκρίνει η Σύνοδος Κορυφής που έχει προγραμματιστεί για την Πέμπτη στη βελγική πρωτεύουσα.

«Πυρ και μανία» το ΔΝΤ με την ελληνική πρόταση

Σημειωτέον ότι το Διεθνές Νομισματικό Ταμείο δεν είναι καθόλου ευχαριστημένο με την ελληνική πρόταση στην οποία βλέπει υπερβολική αύξηση φόρων και όχι διαρθρωτικές μεταρρυθμίσεις.

Το μεσημέρι της Τρίτης η Wall Street Journal αποκάλυψε τι είπε και τι ζήτησε η Κριστίν Λαγκάρντ από τους ηγέτες της ΕΕ στο πλαίσιο της Συνόδου Κορυφής στις Βρυξέλλες.

Η γενική διευθύντρια του Ταμείου ξεκαθάρισε πως δεν είναι ικανοποιημένη με σημεία-κλειδιά της ελληνικής πρότασης, καθώς, το σχέδιο για τη μείωση ελλειμμάτων στο ασφαλιστικό και τον προϋπολογισμό βασίζεται κυρίως στην αύξηση φόρων και ασφαλιστικών εισφορών.

Το ΔΝΤ, από την πλευρά, του ήθελε μεγαλύτερες περικοπές στις δαπάνες, ενώ υποστηρίζει ότι η ελληνική οικονομία είναι ήδη υπερφολογημένη και οι νέες αυξήσεις φόρων θα πλήξουν την ανάπτυξη, δυσκολεύοντας την αποπληρωμή του ελληνικού χρέους.

Εκπρόσωποι του ΔΝΤ, είπαν σε Ευρωπαίους αξιωματούχους ότι δεν είναι ικανοποιημένοι από τα σχέδια της Ελλάδας για την μεταρρύθμιση της οικονομίας, ενώ, εγείρει ακόμη και «θέμα εμπιστοσύνης» για την ελληνική διοίκηση.

Σύμφωνα με την WSJ και η Γερμανία ξεκαθάρισε κατά τη Σύνοδο Κορυφής πως θέλει και το ΔΝΤ να ικανοποιηθεί από το ελληνικό οικονομικό πρόγραμμα. Αξιωματούχοι από το Βερολίνο, μάλιστα,  ενοχλήθηκαν από το πόσο γρήγορα η Κομισιόν καλωσόρισε τις ελληνικές προτάσεις και προειδοποίησαν ότι υπάρχει ακόμη πολλή δουλειά.

Τόνισαν επίσης ότι δεν θα συμφωνήσουν σε εκταμίευση των δόσεων για την Ελλάδα αν το ΔΝΤ δεν εγκρίνει το πακέτο της Αθήνας και δεν δεχτεί να συνεχίσει την χρηματοδότηση της χώρας.

Καθυστέρησε τις τεχνικές συζητήσεις

Το πρακτορείο MNI, μάλιστα, πήγε ένα βήμα παραπέρα σημειώνοντας ότι στις Βρυξέλλες επικρατεί εκνευρισμός στο ΔΝΤ, καθώς, επέλεξε στις τεχνικές συζητήσεις να στείλει χαμηλόβαθμο αξιωματούχο, ο οποίος δεν είχε εντολή να πάρει σημαντικές αποφάσεις.

Παράλληλα, σημειώνει ότι ενστάσεις για τη συμφωνία υπάρχουν και από την πλευρά του Γερμανού υπουργού Οικονομικών, Βόλφγκανγκ Σόιμπλε.

Κατά τις ίδιες πληροφορίες αν η Ελλάδα προχωρούσε σε αύξηση του ΦΠΑ στη εστίαση στο 23% από το 13% θα ήταν βέβαιο ότι θα μπορούσε να καλύψει το στόχο για πρωτογενές πλεόνασμα 1% του ΑΕΠ φέτος.

Αν και η Κομισιόν πιστεύει ότι η τελευταία ελληνική πρόταση καλύπτει πλήρως τους όρους του προγράμματος το ΔΝΤ εγείρει ακόμα θέμα «εμπιστοσύνης» με την ελληνική διοίκηση.

Εκτός συμφωνίας το Ταμείο

Πληροφορίες της τελευταίας στιγμής αναφέρουν ότι κατά τη σημερινή ενημέρωση του ΔΣ του ΔΝΤ από τον Πολ Τόμσεν για το ελληνικό ζήτημα τονίστηκε ότι πρέπει να γίνει ακόμη πολλή δουλειά.

Παράλληλα, υπό αυτές τις συνθήκες το Ταμείο έχει διαμηνύσει ότι δεν θα συμμετάσχει στη συγκεκριμένη συμφωνία ούτε στη χρηματοδότηση.

Πηγή:mandata.gr

Νάρκη στη συμφωνία της Ελλάδας με τους δανειστές, φαίνεται να βάζει το Διεθνές Νομισματικό Ταμείο, με δημοσιεύματα να επιβεβαιώνουν την… δυσθυμία της Κριστίν Λαγκάρντ στη Σύνοδο Κορυφής όπους και δεν έκανε καμιά δήλωση μετά το έκτακτο Eurogroup.

Η Wall Street Journal αποκαλύπτει τι ζήτησε η Κριστίν Λαγκάρντ από τους ηγέτες της ΕΕ στο πλαίσιο της Συνόδου Κορυφής στις Βρυξέλλες. Η γενική διευθύντρια του Ταμείου ξεκαθάρισε πως δεν είναι ικανοποιημένη με σημεία-κλειδιά της ελληνικής πρότασης, καθώς, το σχέδιο για τη μείωση ελλειμμάτων στο ασφαλιστικό και τον προϋπολογισμό βασίζεται κυρίως στην αύξηση φόρων και ασφαλιστικών εισφορών.

Το ΔΝΤ, από την πλευρά, του ήθελε μεγαλύτερες περικοπές στις δαπάνες, ενώ υποστηρίζει ότι η ελληνική οικονομία είναι ήδη υπερφολογημένη και οι νέες αυξήσεις φόρων θα πλήξουν την ανάπτυξη, δυσκολεύοντας την αποπληρωμή του ελληνικού χρέους.

Εκπρόσωποι του ΔΝΤ, είπαν σε Ευρωπαίους αξιωματούχους ότι δεν είναι ικανοποιημένοι από τα σχέδια της Ελλάδας για την μεταρρύθμιση της οικονομίας, ενώ, εγείρει ακόμη και «θέμα εμπιστοσύνης» για την ελληνική διοίκηση.

Σύμφωνα με την WSJ και η Γερμανία ξεκαθάρισε κατά τη Σύνοδο Κορυφής πως θέλει και το ΔΝΤ να ικανοποιηθεί από το ελληνικό οικονομικό πρόγραμμα. Αξιωματούχοι από το Βερολίνο, μάλιστα,  ενοχλήθηκαν από το πόσο γρήγορα η Κομισιόν καλωσόρισε τις ελληνικές προτάσεις και προειδοποίησαν ότι υπάρχει ακόμη πολλή δουλειά.

Τόνισαν επίσης ότι δεν θα συμφωνήσουν σε εκταμίευση των δόσεων για την Ελλάδα αν το ΔΝΤ δεν εγκρίνει το πακέτο της Αθήνας και δεν δεχτεί να συνεχίσει την χρηματοδότηση της χώρας.

Στο ίδιο μήκος κύματος και το Reuters που κάνει λόγο για ανοικτή κόντρα του Ταμείου με την Κομισιόν.

Σύμφωνα με δημοσίευμα, το Διεθνές Νομισματικό Ταμείο έχει ενστάσεις στην ελληνική πρόταση, όσον αφορά στους φόρους και τις περικοπές δαπανών. Υπάρχουν, λοιπόν, κάποιες διαφορές που πρέπει να εξομαλυνθούν, ενώ δεν αποκλείεται – σύμφωνα πάντα με το δημοσίευμα- να πέσει στο τραπέζι και η πρόταση για εξάμηνη παράταση του προγράμματος.

Το πρακτορείο MNI, μάλιστα, πάει ένα βήμα παραπέρα σημειώνοντας ότι στις Βρυξέλλες επικρατεί εκνευρισμός στο ΔΝΤ, καθώς, επέλεξε στις τεχνικές συζητήσεις να στείλει χαμηλόβαθμο αξιωματούχο, ο οποίος δεν είχε εντολή να πάρει σημαντικές αποφάσεις.

Παράλληλα, σημειώνει ότι ενστάσεις για τη συμφωνία υπάρχουν και από την πλευρά του Γερμανού υπουργού Οικονομικών, Βόλφγκανγκ Σόιμπλε.

Κατά τις ίδιες πληροφορίες αν η Ελλάδα προχωρούσε σε αύξηση του ΦΠΑ στη εστίαση στο 23% από το 13% θα ήταν βέβαιο ότι θα μπορούσε να καλύψει το στόχο για πρωτογενές πλεόνασμα 1% του ΑΕΠ φέτος.

Αν και η Κομισιόν πιστεύει ότι η τελευταία ελληνική πρόταση καλύπτει πλήρως τους όρους του προγράμματος το ΔΝΤ εγείρει ακόμα θέμα «εμπιστοσύνης» με την ελληνική διοίκηση.

Αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι όλο αυτό το κλίμα έρχεται την ίδια στιγμή που στην Αθήνα επικρατεί έντονη ανησυχία αφού δυναμώνει το κύμα αντίδρασης από βουλευτές του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ. Μάλιστα κορυφαία στελέχη έχουν προειδοποιήσει ότι η ψηφοφορία θα πάρει μορφή ψήφου εμπιστοσύνης στην κυβέρνηση.

Πηγή:mandata.gr

There were signs of discontent Tuesday within the government about the proposals put forward by Athens to secure an agreement with its lenders, although most ministers and coalition MPs refrained from voicing an opinion before they see the final details of the deal.

Deputy Parliament Speaker Alexis Mitropoulos was at the forefront of the skeptical voices within the party, even suggesting that the agreement would not be able to pass through Parliament.

But Labor Minister Panos Skourletis accused the SYRIZA MP of rushing to make a judgment. The minister seemed confident that coalition lawmakers would support the deal.

State Minister Nikos Pappas expressed certainty that the agreement would be approved. “I assure you that the deal will be such that it will win the backing of the government majority and of the Greek people,” Pappas told Mega TV.

It is expected that any deal will have to be voted on by deputies by Monday at the latest, allowing enough time for parliaments in other eurozone countries to also vote before the end of the month, when Greece has to pay nearly 1.6 billion euros to the International Monetary Fund.

There is also a question about what stance coalition partner Independent Greeks will take. The party’s leader, Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, said Tuesday that his MPs would not support the agreement if it includes the scrapping of a value-added tax discount for Aegean islands.

source:ekathimerini.com