Greek PM to miss EU summit, troika postpones trip

(Athens) – Greece’s new Prime Minister and incoming finance minister, who have been ill, will miss this week’s EU summit when Athens will propose easing the terms of its bailout and international lenders have had to postpone a first meeting with the team.
Prime Minister Antonis Samaras underwent eye surgery and Vassilis Rapanos is in hospital after suffering from nausea, intense abdominal pains and dizziness on Friday before he could be sworn in as finance minister. Instead, the foreign minister and outgoing finance minister will attend the June 28-29 meeting to ask for the terms of the 130 billion euro ($162.96 billion) bailout to be loosened. The unexpected turn of events has also forced the postponement of a visit to Athens by officials from Greece’s “troika” of lenders – the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund.