EU's Juncker rebukes Greece's Tsipras, urges swift proposals

Sun Jun 7, 2015 6:07am EDT

KRUEN, GERMANY

Reuters

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker accused Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Sunday of distorting proposals by international creditors for a cash-for-reform deal to save Athens from default and urged him to put forward alternative proposals swiftly to allow negotiations this week.

Juncker voiced exasperation with Tsipras, who denounced the lenders' terms as "absurd" in the Greek parliament on Friday, and said that while he considered Tsipras a friend, "in order to remain friends one has to respect some minimum rules".

The EU chief executive said he expected negotiations with Tsipras and other euro zone leaders on the sidelines of an EU-Latin America summit in Brussels starting on Wednesday.

He reaffirmed that a Greek exit from the single currency area was not an option but cautioned that that did not mean he could "pull a rabbit out of a hat" to prevent it.

Asked when the final deadline was for a deal with Greece, which is fast running out of cash and struggling to meet its payment obligations this month, Juncker told a news conference before a G7 summit in Germany: "For sure there will be a deadline." But he gave no date.

(Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Noah Barkin)