by Our Foreign Desk

GREEK negotiators said yesterday that a new bailout deal with international creditors has been broadly agreed.

“We are very close,” said Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos as he emerged from a morning meeting. “Two or three very small details remain.”

European Commission economic affairs spokeswoman Annika Breidthardt confirmed the €85 billion (£60bn) deal.

“The institutions and the Greek authorities achieved an agreement in principle on a technical basis and talks are still ongoing on finalising details,” she said, adding that the deal was expected to be complete by the end of the day.

She noted that the agreement still required approval from higher-level representatives, adding that senior finance officials from the 28 European Union nations would hold a conference call that evening.

Athens is due to repay a €3 billion (£2.1bn) instalment to the European Central Bank on August 20.

A Greek official said the terms of the bailout included bringing government spending into surplus next year and a major bank bailout.

The agreement also includes the €35bn (£25bn) so-called “Juncker package” of development measures.

The budget promise reportedly headed off €20bn (€14bn) in further austerity cuts.

However, the pension age would be raised to 67 and some state assets would be sold off, while VAT and corporation tax would also go up.

Syriza left platform MP Costas Lapavitsas said he would not vote in favour of the new deal in parliament.

“Left-wing governments must take left-wing actions,” he insisted.