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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras confirms referendum about EU bailout on July 5

Tsipras claims: “The people must decide free of any blackmail."

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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Photo: AP

Greece will hold a referendum on July 5 on the outcome of negotiations with its international creditors taking place in Brussels on Saturday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced.

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“The people must decide free of any blackmail... the referendum will take place on July 5,” Tsipras said in a televised address to the nation.

Tsipras spoke ahead of a critical meeting of euro zone finance ministers in Brussels on Saturday, amid heightened anxiety over a possible Greek default next Tuesday that could potentially spark its exit from the euro, and even from the European Union.

Greece rejected its international creditors’ offer of a five-month, €12 billion (US$13.4 billion) extension of its bailout programme on Friday, arguing it was unacceptable.

“For the last six months, the Greek government has led the fight... to find a viable agreement that respects democracy,” Tsipras said in his address broadcast on Greek television.

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“We were asked to implement austerity measures... allowing the deregulation of the labour market, pension cuts, and an increase in VAT on food products, targeting the humiliation of an entire people,” the premier said.

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