ATHENS, March 14 (Reuters) – A Greek prosecutor
pressed charges of treason and trying to destabilise the country
against unknown suspects on Wednesday over an alleged 2008 plot
to overthrow the then-conservative prime minister, Costas
Karamanlis.

Court officials said the plan was hatched to thwart efforts
by Karamanlis efforts to improve energy relations with Russia
and included overthrowing and even killing the premier. It was
not clear who was behind it.

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos warned Athens’ private creditors on Monday not to hold out but take the bond swap on which a second bailout of the debt-ridden country depends because it was the best deal they would get.

Venizelos told Reuters in an interview three days before the exchange offer expires, that the terms hammered out last month after months of tortuous negotiations were favorable and Greece would not hesitate to activate laws forcing losses on bond holders who did not willingly sign up.

LONDON/ATHENS, March 5 (Reuters) – Major Greek
bondholders voiced their support on Monday for a deal that will
decimate the value of their holdings as their contribution to
keeping the country afloat.

The steering committee of creditors, which includes 12 major
investors in Greek bonds and was involved in drawing up last
month’s landmark deal, said it would accept the bond swap offer.

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos warned Athens’ private creditors on Monday not to hold out but take the bond swap on which a second bailout of the debt-ridden country depends because it was the best deal they would get.

Venizelos told Reuters in an interview three days before the exchange offer expires, that the terms hammered out last month after months of tortuous negotiations were favourable and Greece would not hesitate to activate laws forcing losses on bond holders who did not willingly sign up.

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos warned Athens’ private creditors on Monday not to hold out but take the bond swap on which a second bailout of the debt-ridden country depends because it was the best deal they would get.

Venizelos told Reuters in an interview three days before the exchange offer expires, that the terms hammered out last month after months of tortuous negotiations were favourable and Greece would not hesitate to activate laws forcing losses on bond holders who did not willingly sign up.

ATHENS, Feb 16 (Reuters) – Greece expressed hope it
was within days of finally securing a 130-billion-euro EU/IMF
bailout to ease its debt crisis but markets reacted sceptically
on Thursday as acrimony grew between Athens and euro zone
partners led by Germany.

Frustrations exploded as Greek President Karolos Papoulias,
an 82-year-old veteran of the resistance to Nazi occupation of
Greece during World War Two, lashed out at Germany’s finance
minister for appearing to suggest Greece might go bankrupt.

ATHENS, Feb 16 (Reuters) – Greece expressed hope it
can secure its second EU/IMF bailout in as many years and a deal
on easing its debt burden next week, but its euro zone peers
made clear the months of increasingly ill-tempered argument are
not quite over yet.

Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the Greek side had
met the final two demands set by the European Union and IMF to
seal the 130 billion-euro rescue, which Athens needs to avoid a
chaotic default when big debt repayments fall due in March.

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece’s leaders battled to salvage a new 130-billion-euro EU/IMF bailout on Wednesday, rejecting doubts over their commitment to a punishing austerity package just hours before a conference call of euro zone finance ministers.

But with mistrust of Athens high, several EU sources told Reuters that finance officials in the 17-state currency union were studying whether it was possible to delay part or all of the rescue deal while still avoiding a disorderly default – news which pushed safe haven German Bund futures to session highs.

BRUSSELS/ATHENS, Feb 15 (Reuters) – Euro zone finance
ministers have dropped plans for a special face-to-face meeting
on Wednesday on Greece’s new international bailout, saying
political party chiefs in Athens had failed to provide the
required commitment to reform.

A day before euro zone finance ministers had been due to
meet in Brussels to consider the bailout, the man most likely to
be Greece’s next prime minister had yet to sign a commitment to
implement the austerity measures demanded by the EU and IMF.

BRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) – Euro zone finance ministers dropped plans on Tuesday for a special face-to-face meeting on Greece’s new international bailout, as the cabinet in Athens argued up to the last minute on plugging a 325 million euro ($427 million)gap in its austerity plan.

Ministers in the Eurogroup had been expected to gather in Brussels on Wednesday for a meeting which, if all had gone to plan, would have approved the 130 billion euro rescue and save Greece from a messy bankruptcy next month.