Greek crisis talks fail to yield cabinet deal :Aljazeera News

Greek radical left leader Alexis Tsipras says he will not join or support a pro-bailout coalition government, saying he cannot agree to what he terms a mistake. His continued refusal makes new elections in the crisis-struck country more likely.

Tsipras made the comments on Sunday after attending a meeting convened by President Karolos Papoulias with the head of the conservative New Democracy and socialist PASOK parties. Papoulias is making a last-ditch effort to broker an agreement and break the deadlock created by the elections, which left no party with enough parliamentary seats to form a government.






If no deal is reached, Greece must hold new elections next month, prolonging the political uncertainty and endangering the country's euro membership.




Papoulias, whose ceremonial role normally keeps him above the political fray, was to meet smaller parties elected to parliament later in the day.





European Union leaders have warned that without a government that backs the rescue plan, Greece will stop receiving payments and could find itself pushed out of the eurozone.




Sunday's meeting broke up after less than two hours of talks, and leaders said the discussions had hit a snag, though they expressed the hope that difficulties could be overcome.


Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos said he felt "limited optimism" after the talks.


"Even now, despite the impasse at the meeting we had with the president, I hold on to some limited optimism that a government can be formed," he said.


He told party cadres that the talks came to a "dead end," indicating that hopes now fall on the co-operation of a smaller pro-European leftist party.

Syriza, which made massive gains to come second in last Sunday's election, campaigned on an anti-bailout platform and insists any new government must cancel the austerity measures Greece has had to commit to in exchange for international bailouts.