Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou failed to get consensus from opposition leaders on Tuesday on new austerity measures aimed at averting default as lenders pile pressure on Athens for action, according to Reuters. Desperate to secure the next tranche of a 110-billion-euros EU/IMF bailout, Greece decided on Monday to jump start privatisations and push through six billion euros worth of extra fiscal measures to convince lenders and markets it can pay down debt without restructuring. Paymasters at the European Union have said broad political consensus is necessary for more aid, given the need to plug a funding gap next year caused Greece's inability to borrow on the markets. Papandreou, whose party has a comfortable lead in parliament but is sliding in opinion polls, called opposition party leaders in an effort to get them on board, but without success.
