Troika visit to Greece postponed until July

Athen - The Troika's planned visit to Greece on Monday has been delayed until July due to the ill-health of the new Greek prime minister and the new finance minister. Also postponed is the already delayed €5 billion bail-out loan.

Greece's creditors, the EU, ECB and IMF, collectively known as the Troika, have postponed their planned visit to Athens the BBC reported. Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras underwent routine surgery on Saturday to repair a damaged retina. Also hospitalized is Greece's new Finance Minister Vassilis Rapanos who was rushed to hospital on Friday after fainting, before he could be sworn into his new cabinet position. Rapanos was non-executive chairman of the National Bank of Greece before being appointed to the government. His appointment has raised the question of whose interests he will put first in his role as finance minister, the people of Greece or the bankers. The Troika visit will now take place in July according to Ekathimerini, after the EU summit in Brussels on 28-29 June. The postponement will also delay the overdue €5 billion bail-out loan due to Greece, of which all but €100 million was due to go directly to the banks. Labelling itself a "unity government" the new three party coalition is under pressure to proceed with planned reforms and the imposition of further austerity measures to meet Greece's creditors' demands. It is widely expected that the new government which hopes to remain in office for four years, will not last long, a position highlighted by Digital Journal when it reported that members of New Democracy's coalition partners refused to take cabinet positions in the new government. Only one PASOK MP has a cabinet position, along with four technocrats. As Athens News reported Anthonis Samaras, a career politician, is seen as an opportunist by his critics, frequently switching his stance to protect his own political interests.