Greece receives first 7.5bn euros in new bailout funds

ATHENS: Greece received on Tuesday a first disbursement of 7.5 billion euros ($9.9 billion) under its second internation
20 Mar, 2012

Greece received 5.9 billion euros from the eurozone and 1.6 billion euros from the International Monetary Fund, said the official.

Following a debt swap with private creditors earlier this month that wiped some 100 billion euros off of Greece's debt, the eurozone approved a new rescue programme worth up to 130 billion euros.

The IMF followed up with a 28 billion euro package.

The funds are disbursed in installments provided Greece meets agreed targets to cut its spending excesses and reform its economy.

Greek parliament on Tuesday opened a session that was to end with a late night ratification of the loan deal between Athens and the eurozone.

The coalition government of caretaker Prime Minister Lucas Papademos controls a large majority in parliament and passage of the law is widely considered a formality.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2012

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