Greece to mull technocrat government ATHENS, Greece, May 15 (UPI) -- Greek President Karolos Papoulias was to propose a non-partisan rule for his country Tuesday to break a weeklong political impasse and avoid fresh elections. But many party leaders said they opposed the technocratic idea, similar to that in Italy, and would seek other political options. Papoulias, unable to cobble together a coalition government Monday, called for another attempt Tuesday, planning to meet with leaders of all parties represented in Parliament except for an ultranationalist party, state-run New Hellenic Television reported. Papoulias has 48 hours to persuade politicians to form a national unity government or face having to call another election, the Greek Constitution states. The election would most likely take place June 17, officials said. Alexis Tsipras, president of the Synaspismos political party and head of the Coalition of the Radical Left parliamentary group, known as SYRIZA -- which became Greece's second-biggest party in May 6 elections -- refused to participate in Monday's talks, saying it made no sense to take part in further meetings because weeklong coalition talks with the same party leaders were deadlocked. SYRIZA rejects the terms of Greece's international bailout. But Tsipras, 37, said he was adamant Greece could abandon its commitments to international lenders and reverse the brutal austerity policies of recent years, yet still remain in the Eurozone and keep on borrowing, despite warnings from European officials that those are irreconcilable goals. "Legally they can't" expel Greece, Staikos was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying. And we don't believe it will come to that, because the cost of a Greek exit will be catastrophic for the European project as a whole. If Greece goes ... Europe will be doomed. Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg prime minister who heads the Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers, sharply criticized other EU leaders for "threatening" Greece with expulsion from the single currency, saying the will of Greek voters must be respected. I don't envisage, not even for one second, Greece leaving the euro area. This is nonsense. This is propaganda," Juncker said at a news conference. We have to respect Greek democracy.