Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Cyprus President Talks with EU about Bailout Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades travels to Brussels Saturday for talks with European Union leaders and the International Monetary Fund about measures aimed at avoiding bankruptcy for the cash-strapped island. On Friday, Cypriot lawmakers approved several bills targeted at raising enough money to qualify the indebted nation for an international bailout. Cyprus has to raise $7.5 billion by next week in order to secure a bailout of about $13 billion needed to shore up its financial system. Measures adopted late Friday include imposing a tax of less than 1 percent on all bank deposits and a higher tax on larger deposits. The new legislation also requires restructuring of Cyprus` key lending banks. If the proposal is rejected, Cyprus` banks could collapse by next week, pushing the country toward bankruptcy and a potential exit from the 17-member eurozone. Much of the bailout money would refund the country`s banks hurt by bad investments in Greek government bonds. __________________________________________________________________ [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/cyprus-president-talks-with-eu-about- bailout/1627111.html References 1. http://www.voanews.com/content/cyprus-president-talks-with-eu-about-bailout/1627111.html