Inside Story

Greece debt crisis: brinkmanship or bust?

Athens is warned to seize a “last opportunity” as an emergency summit looms with European Union leaders.

The Greek protest party Syriza campaigned on the slogan ‘hope is coming’ and a promise to end austerity.

But it is finding life a lot tougher in government, as it tries to hammer out not just a face-saving deal, but any deal at all with its European creditors.

Greece has until the end of the month to agree reforms that will unlock desperately needed cash from an international bailout – or face default and worse.

Tense talks in Luxembourg broke down within an hour of starting on Thursday, leaving hopes pinned on an emergency summit of EU leaders planned for Monday.

Speaking in Luxembourg, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis warned: “We are dangerously close to a state of mind that accepts an accident. And I urge my colleagues not to fall prey to this state of mind.”

It drew this response from International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde, who said: “We can only arrive at a solution if we have a dialogue, and at the moment we are short of that dialogue. So the key emergency in my view is to restore a dialogue with adults in the room.”

So will European creditors blink first? Or will Greece offer an eleventh hour compromise on cash for reforms.

Presenter: Mike Hanna

Guests

Nina Schick, communications director for Open Europe and an EU policy anaylst.

Anastasia Giamali, Syriza campaigner and journalist at the Dawn Newspaper.

Jane Foley, senior foreign exchange strategist at Rabobank International.