– Wealthiest IMF default –
An IMF spokesman in Washington confirmed the payment due by 2200 GMT Tuesday had “not been received,” making Greece the first country to default to the Washington-based lender since Zimbabwe in 2001 and the wealthiest ever.
“We have informed our Executive Board that Greece is now in arrears and can only receive IMF financing once the arrears are cleared,” Gerry Rice said in a statement.
The IMF is now considering extending Greece’s payment deadline – something it has only done twice before in 1982 for Nicaragua and Guyana – giving it the power to ease pressure on Athens as it starts fresh talks with the EU.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras plunged the protracted discussions into chaos over the weekend when he announced the referendum, urging Greeks to vote against the pension cuts and sales-tax increases demanded by its creditors
The request by Athens for a new loan from the ESM followed European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker’s attempt to clinch a “last-minute” solution before the referendum which would involve accepting the EU-IMF reform proposals.
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany stuck to Berlin’s hard line when she said she would not discuss any new Greek request until after Sunday’s referendum.
“Before the referendum, Germany can’t negotiate a new request” for assistance, Merkel was quoted as saying by a lawmaker of her conservative Christian Democrats.
