BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - European Parliament President Martin Schulz Thursday said he hoped a compromise on Greece would be reached shortly, allowing the country to stay in the eurozone. He was speaking at the start of the European Council earlier today.
Schulz said: 'We are called upon to carefully weigh the risks and choose the path least likely to make citizens liable for a crisis they have not caused.' He said a deal should also pave the way for improving the sustainability of Greek debt.
Greece and its international creditors have been holding a number of meetings in an attempt to reach a solution. However, differences continue to hamper any real progress and any deal would still need the approval of the Greek and German parliaments.
Earlier in the day, Greek Prime Minister Tsipras met the chiefs of the country's creditors - the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, at the commission's headquarters in Brussels.
Greece is burdened with a Eur 1.5 billion payment to the IMF at the end of June. The country has indicated that it will not be able to make the payment without further aid. The country needs to clinch a deal as soon as possible that could unlock Eur 7.2 billion aid as soon as next week.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX