Subject: Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-03-30 From: "HR-Net News Distribution Manager" CONTENTS [01] Parliament head says Greece close to a deal with lenders on review [02] Digital policy minister meets U.S. State Dept officials while visiting Washington --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [01] Parliament head says Greece close to a deal with lenders on review Greece is close to securing a deal with its lenders in the coming days, Parliament president Nikos Voutsis said on Wednesday, speaking at a one-day event organized by the Unified Movement of the European Left. "The delay in the conclusion of the review is not due to Greece but to our partners, however the time is right to close the deal. Everything indicates that we will have a deal very soon which will be socially sustainable and manageable. We will have it in the coming days and we will study it," he said. [02] Digital policy minister meets U.S. State Dept officials while visiting Washington Digital Policy, Telecommunications and Media Minister Nikos Pappas has a series of meetings at the U.S. State Department during his visit to Washington, a ministry announcement said on Wednesday. These included talks with Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary John Heffern of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and Julie Zoller, Acting Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy at the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. Pappas briefed Zoller on the progress of the Greek economy, noting the crucial reforms carried out in the pension and tax systems and an improvement in the business climate, the press release said. He also underlined the need to quickly conclude the second review of the Greek programme, saying that Greece had met its commitments and even overperformed, "so there is no real reason to delay." He said the Greek government's strategy was to turn the country into a trade, energy and networks hub for the surrounding region, exploiting its geopolitical position between the developed European market and its proximity to Asia and North Africa.