The Greek parliament's first stage approval of an EU/IMF austerity package pulls the country back from the threat of default and paves the way for a second aid package, Reuters quoted the EU's top two officials as saying on Wednesday. "The country has taken an important step forward along the necessary path of fiscal consolidation and growth-enhancing structural reform," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said in a joint statement. "But it has also taken a vital step back -- from the very grave scenario of default. This was a vote of national responsibility." Barroso and Van Rompuy said that if the second stage of the vote was also passed on Thursday, as is now expected, it would pave the way for disbursement of the next, 12 billion euro tranche of financial assistance to Athens, and allow work to proceed rapidly on a second assistance package later this year. -- SPA
