Greek deal remains elusive

Wide differences over pension and labour reforms continued to dog intensive talks between Greece’s leftist government and its international creditors, despite progress in other areas as the country’s cash position becomes increasingly critical.

Government spokesman Gabriel Sakellaridis sounded the alarm yesterday, saying while Athens intended to meet all its payment obligations, including nearly €1bn to the IMF in May, it needed fresh funds before the end of the month.

“Liquidity is a pressing issue,” Sakellaridis told a news conference. “The Greek government is not waiting until the end of May for a liquidity injection. It expects this liquidity to be offered to the Greek economy as soon as possible.”