Different delivery, but one common message to Greece's new leaders

Rome

IN Paris and Rome, it was sugar coated; in Berlin and Frankfurt, unequivocal. But the message from European capitals to Greece's new leaders was the same at every stop on last week's tour: stick to your commitments.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will head to his first European summit this Thursday duly warned that it will be near impossible - as Athens wants - to rip up pledges made during the country's four-year international bailout. Mr Tsipras and his aides were also advised to learn the ways of diplomatic custom.

"Friendship requires telling things as they are," French Finance Minister Michel Sapin told Reuters after meeting his Greek counterpart Yanis Varoufakis on Feb 1. "We must avoid misunderstandings and make sure all, and especially the Greek side, understand how things are."

The positions taken this past week raise pressure on Mr Tsipras to abandon the rhetoric that got him elected. Other European capitals must decide how much they are willing to compromise to keep Greece in the euro. France and Italy, widely perceived as Greece's natural allies, will have to think how far they want to go to facilitate a deal. "I hope this European tour has helped them see what others are prepared to do - and not do," said one European official in Brussels.

Mr Tsipras and Mr Varoufakis declined to comment for this article.

There isn't much time. Greece's bailout ends on Feb 28. Athens says it doesn't want an extension; it would rather have a bridge loan from Europe while it comes up with a new plan for the country. So far, the answer has been no.

Yet, without new aid, the Greek state will be starved of funds. A sum of 9 billion euros (S$13.8 billion) was slated to arrive this year, largely from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Tax revenues are shrinking, and privatisations have been halted. Analysts at Unicredit say the state could run out of money by March.

The clearest message to Greece this past week came, as expected, from Germany. During a news conference with Mr Varoufakis in Berlin, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble dismissed Greece's request for any bridge funding and insisted that Athens implement existing bailout agreements.

The news conference was marked by the absence of cordial chit chat or eye contact between the 73-year-old brown-suited German and his 53- year-old open-shirted Greek guest.

In Paris and Rome, the message was more nuanced. Within southern Europe, France and Italy would appear to be Greece's natural allies. They are run by centre-left governments that have been pushing their European partners to adopt a more growth-oriented policy for the region.

Both have applauded Mr Tsipras's victory as a triumph of the people's will over suffocating austerity.

French President Francois Hollande's administration has taken on the role of early facilitator for Mr Tsipras: in Paris on Feb 1, Finance Minister Michel Sapin, after meeting Mr Varoufakis, sent a text message to Mr Schaeuble asking him to meet the Greek finance minister, according to a French official.

During a lengthy news conference after they met in Rome last Tuesday, Italian Premier Matteo Renzi hailed Mr Tsipras for bringing a "message of hope, not just fear" to Europe.

The news conference brimmed with mutual compliments and references to cultural similarities. Mr Renzi referred to his high school ancient Greek classes and gifted Mr Tsipras a tie. The two joked that the Greek leader would start wearing one once Greek's debt woes are over.

Both men are 40. They have taken their countries' political establishment by storm. They govern countries that have Europe's biggest and second-biggest debt as a percentage of output.

Crucially, both see themselves as champions of a lost generation. Italians born in 1970 will pay 50 per cent more in taxes as a percentage of their lifetime income than those born in 1952, according to Bank of Italy research. They will receive half the pension benefits that current 60-somethings do now. "We are the same age, and our generation has been the buffer of bad political choices," Mr Tsipras said.

Yet, for Italy and France, Syriza also poses a risk. Mr Hollande and Mr Renzi are centre-left leaders who (under pressure from Europe and economic downturns) are trying to embark on market-friendly reforms. The success of Syriza - with its far-left, anti-market rhetoric - could undermine their efforts.

"If Tsipras manages to push his programmes against privileges, pressure on Renzi to pivot to the left may grow, shifting the focus to Italy's wealthier households and leaving his labour reforms in limbo," Francesco Galietti, CEO of public policy analysis firm Policy Sonar, said in a research note.

The risks explain why Mr Hollande and Mr Renzi were guarded in their support for Mr Tsipras. "We want to give Greece a hand - it doesn't mean we'll always agree with them," Mr Renzi said.

Ahead of Thursday's EU summit, Greece's new leaders also got no shortage of diplomatic education.

Several officials who attended the meetings commented on the lack of experience of international affairs exhibited by Greece's new ministers, and their entourages. Two said they were struck by the lack of knowledge of EU institutions and recent decisions. "You have the impression that (the Greek delegations) are on quite a steep learning curve," said one top European official. REUTERS