LONDON: Greece's radical new leaders hope to win Rome's support at talks Tuesday in their bid to renegotiate a massive 240-billion-euro ($270 billion) bailout following encouraging remarks from Prime Minister Matteo Renzi who said Europe must abandon austerity.
Leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who swept to power a week ago pledging to end painful austerity measures demanded by the EU and the International Monetary Fund, has vowed to find a debt agreement for "all the peoples of Europe" as he seeks backing for Athens' position.
He and Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis are touring Europe this week to build support for a renegotiation of the huge bailout, over strong opposition from Germany.
Varoufakis is to hold talks in Rome with his Italian counterpart Pier Carlo Padoan on Tuesday morning while Tsipras will travel from Cyprus to meet with Renzi in the afternoon.
They are likely to take heart from remarks by Renzi, who Monday reiterated his long-standing view that Europe must abandon austerity, while calling for "prudence and responsibility" in the handling of the Greek situation.
"I believe it is crucial to send a clear message: we want to move the discussion on economic policy from austerity and rigour towards growth and investment," Renzi said on RTL Radio.
"We have to change economic policy at the European level, not just for Greece or any other country."
Following talks with Varoufakis in London on Monday, British finance minister George Osborne warned: "It's clear that the standoff between Greece and the eurozone is fast becoming the biggest risk to the global economy."
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