By Renee Maltezou
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece must
implement its bailout program fast to achieve its main aim of regaining
access to market financing and escaping international supervision,
re-elected leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Saturday.
Speaking
to lawmakers of his Syriza party on the day a new parliament was sworn
in, the premier said he aimed to complete the first review of a 86
billion euro bailout agreed in August as soon as possible so Athens
could open negotiations with its euro zone partners on debt relief.
To
achieve that, Greece is required to enact a swathe of reforms of
taxation, pensions, healthcare, the financial sector and public services
by Nov. 15 to unlock the next tranche of aid and receive help in
recapitalizing its stricken banks.
"Implementing the bailout is
not going to be easy. But we are obliged to make these decisions
although we don't like them," Tsipras said. "It's necessary, in order to
exit this system of surveillance and immediately start the discussion
on the debt issue.
"Our main target is to exit this system of
supervision, and regain market access. But a necessary condition for
that is to return to growth," he added.
Tsipras performed a
spectacular U-turn in July after calling a referendum to reject
austerity terms for a bailout, only to accept more stringent conditions
after Greece was forced to shut its banks, ration cash and impose
capital controls.
A hard-left faction broke from Syriza, but
Tsipras trounced them in an early election last month, returning to
office comfortably with his right-wing nationalist coalition partners.
Tsipras
said Syriza, which still spans from social democrats to radical
leftists, needed to learn from the errors of its chaotic first seven
months in office and avoid past divisions.
"In the end, we must
all respect the collective will so that the mistakes of the past are not
repeated," he said in what sounded like a veiled warning to lawmakers.
He
also said Syriza would aim to change the country by fighting "the
establishment", corruption and tax evasion, and reforming the justice
system, education and social welfare.
DEBT RELIEF DEBATE
European
Union officials have cautioned Greece against expecting massive relief
on its debt when talks get under away after the completion of the first
bailout review by EU, European Central Bank and International Monetary
Fund monitors.
Klaus Regling, head of the euro zone's bailout
fund, told the Financial Times last week that Greece did not need
large-scale debt relief and had already received the most concessionary
loan terms "in world history".
EU sources have told Reuters the
bloc could reach a consensus on capping Greece's annual gross borrowing
costs at 15 percent of its economic output, by extending loan maturities
and repayment grace periods as necessary.
An IMF source said the
Fund believed Greece needed easier terms closer to the 10 percent
annual gross borrowing cost it aims to achieve for developing countries.
The
IMF has made Greek compliance with the bailout program and adequate
euro zone debt relief conditions for its continued involvement in
Greece, which Germany insists is necessary to satisfy its parliament.
Berlin,
the euro zone's leading economy with the largest exposure to Greece,
has ruled out any "haircut" but agreed to consider longer maturities and
grace periods.
