A few moments ago, no bailout proposal in hand, no parliamentary discussion having taken place, and certainly no votes having been cast, the Eurogroup sat down with Cyprus' president Anastasiades, in order to preserve the "democratic" theatrical facade of European decisionmaking. Here, to keep up appearances that Cyprus' opinion is even remotely relevant, Europea's unelected leaders will do what they does best - make a closed door decision affecting the lives of millions of people, which ultimately have one purpose: to preserve the crumbling edifice of the Eurozone project (so carefully preserved in the past few months with superglue, scotch tape and empty promises) and of course the jobs and livelihoods of a few unelected EUrocrats.
A preview of this elaborate song and dance ritual is below from Kathimerini. It will be next followed by an even more elaborate song and dance from the Eurozone finance ministers, which will then finally go back to Cyprus, where a decision will likely have to be reached ahead of the Asian FX market open, or all that late Friday "Cyprus is saved" enthusiasm will evaporate in a GETCO millisecond.
From Kathimerini [6]:
A high-level meeting on Cyprus is about to start in Brussels, chaired by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, with the participation of the Cypriot government and of the European Commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, Nicosia confirmed on Sunday afternoon.
A spokesman for the Cypriot government said the meeting would examine the possibility of a deal ahead of the Eurogroup meeting of eurozone finance ministers in the evening, Associated Press reported. Van Rompuy’s chairing of the meeting was also confirmed by a European Council spokesman.
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Finance Minister Michalis Sarris lead a Cypriot delegation that left Larnaca in the morning on a special flight that also went through Athens.
Following that session, Anastasiades will meet with Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, and Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, Nicosia announced.
Throughout the day's negotiations in Brussels the council of Cypriot party leaders will be in constant session at the President's office in Nicosia and in communication with the President.