(13 May 2012) POOL
4:3
1. Alexis Tsipras, leader of radical left coalition Syriza, arriving at the Greek Presidential Palace
2. Tsipras inside Place and entering the meeting room
3. Various of Evangelos Venizelos, socialist leader of Pasok party, arriving at the Greek Presidential Palace and entering the meeting room
4. SOUNDBITE: (Greek) Antonis Samaras, conservative leader, New Democracy party:
"The Greek people did not just send a message; an order was given, an order for all of us to co-operate in order to change our policies but simultaneously to remain in the Euro. (They gave) A coalition order for a sustainable government at least until the European Parliament Elections (of 2014)."
5. Samaras walking towards the Greek Presidential Palace
6. Samaras inside the Palace and entering the meeting room
7. Greek President Karolos Papoulias walking inside the Greek Presidential Palace and entering the meeting room
8. Various of Venizelos, Samaras, Tsipras and Papoulias inside the meeting room
AP TELEVISION
16:9
9. Wide of President's residence in Athens
10. Mid of policeman
11. Wide of Venizelos, Pasok leader, leaving the Palace
12. Wide of Tsipras, Syriza leader, leaving the Palace
13. Wide of Antonis Samaras, conservative leader leaving the Palace
14. Mid of Samaras entering car
15. Mid of residence
STORYLINE
Greek conservative leader Antonis Samaras says the radical left Syriza party that came second in last week's inconclusive elections is refusing to join or support any coalition government.
Samaras made the comments after attending a meeting convened by President Karolos Papoulias with the head of Syriza and the socialist PASOK party.
Greek socialist leader and former finance minister Evangelos Venizelos says he retains "limited but existing" optimism for the possibility of an agreement to form a coalition government, despite meetings with political leaders so far not managing to break the deadlock.
Greece's president convened the crisis-struck country's wrangling politicians Sunday, in a final bid to broker an agreement for a coalition government and avoid new elections that will prolong the political uncertainty and threaten the country's euro membership.
Samaras and Venizelos could join forces with the small Democratic Left party of Fotis Kouvelis and form a governing coalition, but all three have insisted they cannot do so without the support of Syriza due to its strong showing in the elections.
"The Greek people didn't just send us a message, they gave us a mandate," Samaras said as he arrived for the meeting with the president. "A mandate of cooperation for all of us to change policy, but also to remain in the Euro."
But chances for a solution appeared slim, with Tsipras so far sticking to his position that he cannot back or join any government that does not seek to overturn the bailout terms.
Voters furious at the handling of Greece's financial crisis and two years of harsh austerity measures taken in return for (b) billions of euros in international bailout loans punished the formerly dominant parties in elections last Sunday.
New Democracy and PASOK saw their support crumble to the lowest point in decades, while Syriza, led by 38-year-old Alexis Tsipras, made big gains to come in second place after campaigning on an anti-bailout platform.
The turmoil has alarmed Greece's international creditors, who have stressed that the country must stick to the terms of its rescue deals if it hopes to continue receiving the funds that have been keeping it afloat since May 2010.
Week-long negotiations have so far failed to produce a result.
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