EU Delays Deal on Greek Bailout

A meeting of eurozone ministers broke up early Monday with a decision to delay delivering any funds of the rescue package for Greece. The ministers have decided to await the result of a contentious vote in Athens' Parliament on Tuesday night, the outcome of which is by no means assured.

Demonstrations by irate citizens and defections from Prime Minister George Papandreou's own party necessitated a rearrangement in the Cabinet over the weekend in an effort to have a successful vote on the austerity measures demanded by the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Reuters reported that the meeting ended without action as Didier Reynders, Belgian finance minister, said, "We are waiting for a decision from the Greek parliament. We are calling for not just the government, but the Greek opposition to support the plan. We are increasing the pressure because there are precedents," he added in a reference to previous missed commitments and falsified statistics from the troubled country. "We have to be sure that everyone is going to support the plan."