LISBON (Reuters) - The leader of Portugal's Socialists made plain on Thursday that his party would sustain long-term opposition to any cross-party agreement involving painful budget measures as the country's EU/IMF bailout nears its completion.
Portugal is likely to still need some kind of support programme from the European Union when the bailout expires in mid-2014. President Anibal Cavaco Silva tried to forge a cross-party agreement in June between the two centre-right parties in government and the Socialists on future policy.