Tsipras: Grexit still possible

(Vatican Radio) A Grexit remains a possibility despite the recent third bailout agreement, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras warned yesterday, as he prepared for a tense meeting of the Syriza party Central Committee today.

In a radio interview Tsipras said that though he was committed to keeping Greece in the eurozone, a Grexit cannot be ruled out if the going gets too tough.  He criticized the Syriza hard left for urging a return of the drachma.

Listen to John Carr's report

Syriza is all but split over the euro-versus-drachma issue, with the so-called Left Platform showing no sign of bowing to Tsipras’s wishes.  Many here in Athens expect Tsipras to call elections in the early autumn to clear Syriza of its Marxist Europhobes.

Today’s meeting of the Syriza Central Committee promises to be a tense one, with Tsipras attempting to keep the Left Platform in line.  Also in Athens are representatives of Greece’s creditors, who will be keeping a close eye on what’s happening in Syriza to see if the promised reforms have a chance of being carried out.