ATHENS - The Greek cabinet approved a draft bill spelling out reforms required by the EU and the IMF, taking Athens closer to getting a new 130 billion-euro bailout after the prime minister warned the alternative was “catastrophe”. All eyes will now be on parliament, which is scheduled to vote on the bill on Sunday. Analysts expect the deeply unpopular package to be adopted but Greek politics remain highly unstable. Even after this is done, the EU also wants a further 325 million euros of spending cuts and clear commitments by main party leaders that the reforms will be implemented before it agrees to release the aid. Technocrat Prime Minister Lucas Papademos told his turbulent coalition government earlier on Friday to accept the harsh international bailout deal or condemn the nation to disaster. “We cannot allow Greece to go bankrupt,” he told a cabinet meeting. “Our priority is to do whatever it takes to approve the new economic programme and proceed with the new loan agreement.” Papademos, the sole technocrat in a coalition of feuding politicians, tried to assert his authority after six cabinet members resigned over EU and IMF demands for yet more pay, pension and job cuts in return for the financial rescue. The austerity plan includes lowering the minimum wage by 22 percent, axing 150,000 public sector jobs and reducing pensions. “It goes without saying that whoever disagrees and does not vote for the new programme cannot remain in the government,” he said in televised remarks. Greece faces bankruptcy unless it gets the funds from the IMF and European Union by March 20 when it has to repay 14.5 billion euros in maturing bonds. “It was approved,” a minister who took part in the cabinet meeting said about the draft bill.
