Juncker accuses Tsipras of twisting EU's words to Greeks

By Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Jean-Claude Juncker rebuked Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday, accusing him of giving his voters a deliberately distorted version of proposals the EU chief executive had made to resolve Athens' debt crisis. The flash of anger, as European Commission President Juncker prefaced an answer at a news conference by saying he cared about Greece's people but not its government, was in sharp contrast to his previous efforts to befriend the novice leftist premier in the course of tortuous negotiations. With Greece struggling to avoid a debt default in two weeks' time that could threaten its membership of the euro, Tsipras had fulminated earlier to his parliamentary allies that EU and IMF creditors were demanding pension cuts and tax hikes to "humiliate not only the Greek government ... but humiliate an entire people". Among lenders' proposals, he said, was a 10-percentage point increase in the value-added tax on electricity. Other ministers have criticised suggestions to hike VAT on medicines. At a news briefing in Brussels with the head of NATO, Juncker, 60, effectively accused Tsipras, 40, of misleading voters. "I don't care about the Greek government," he said. "I do care about the Greek people, mainly the poorest part." "I'm not in favour, and the prime minister knows that, I'm not in favour of increasing VAT on medicaments and electricity. I do think this would be a major mistake," he said, repeating for emphasis: "And the prime minister knows that." "The debate in Greece and outside Greece would be easier if the Greek government would tell exactly what the Commission ... are really proposing," Juncker continued. "I'm blaming the Greeks (for) tell(ing) things to the Greek public which are not consistent with what I told the Greek prime minister." He said he had not spoken to Tsipras since late on Sunday, "when I decided to stop the negotiations because the negotiations, given the Greek position, were getting nowhere." Athens says it needs relief from its massive debts rather than spending cuts that will further depress economic growth. Juncker said Greece should accept a deal that would unlock 35 billion euros for investment. And he suggested replacing VAT rises with other measures, including defence spending cuts. Last week, the former Luxembourg premier made clear his disillusion with Tsipras and fears for Europe's single currency. "In order to remain friends, one has to respect some minimum rules," Juncker said. "I've always tried to build bridges. But I'm still waiting for Greece to build its part of the bridge." (Additional reporting by Alexander Saeedy; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)