European parliament president Schultz heads to Athens as first EU official visit to new gov't
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The European Parliament's president is to be the first European official to visit Athens, a day after announcements by Greece's nascent radical left government on rolling back a series of key budget commitments sent the country's stock market plummeting.
Martin Schultz arrives in Athens Thursday for meetings with government and opposition officials, a day ahead of eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem. Both visits are being closely watched for indications of how Alexis Tsipras' government intends to proceed in bailout negotiations.
Wednesday's hard line prompted a quick EU warning and sent local investors into panic on the prospect that Greece might be cut off from its financial lifeline.
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Ahead of his visit, Schultz wrote in an online article that Tsipras must "reach out for compromise both inside and outside the country."