Tsipras bemoans creditors' 'strange attitude' as Greek proposal is rebuffed

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras described the attitude of "certain" creditors as "strange" after they rejected the latest proposal submitted by Greece on Monday night.

"The non-acceptance of offsetting measures has never happened before. Neither in Ireland nor in Portugal. Nowhere." Tsipras wrote on his Twitter account.

"This strange attitude can only mean one of two things: either they do not want an agreement or they are serving specific interests in Greece."

The proposal offered to cut the country's pension bill, to reform the VAT system to set the main rate at 23%, while raising the retirement age to 67 and curb early retirement, in a bid to raise an additional €2.7bn in revenues.

Read more: New Greek proposal gives hope to creditors

Earlier on Wednesday, Greek economy minister George Stathakis admitted that there where "two or three” issues which had to be settled with international lenders, as Tsipras headed to Brussels to meet the country's creditors.

"There are two or three very specific issues, and as you appreciate it's the last part, three out of the fifty measures that have been agreed," Stathakis told Greece's Mega TV.

He added that those issues included long term debt relief and VAT exemptions in the Greek islands.

Meanwhile, Tsipras arrived to Belgium's capital to meet the leaders of the European Central Bank (ECB), the European Commission (EC) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

All of them will hold a meeting on the sidelines of a Eurozone finance ministers meeting that is scheduled for later on Wednesday.

Berenberg's Holger Schmieding commented that it was a “bitter irony” that Syriza, who came to power in Athens on promises of ending austerity “are now proposing more austerity than the troika considers healthy.”

“It shows the economic incompetence of Syriza and, even more so, their reluctance to do what Greece really needs: pro-growth structural reforms and targeted cuts in entitlements and non-essential government spending.”

Rabobank analysts showed their pessimism toward the Greek situation, pointing out that it remained uncertain “whether any deal could actually survive a vote in the Greek parliament.”

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