BERLIN (MNI) – German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in a
newspaper interview published on Sunday that an exit of Greece from the
Eurozone can still be prevented.
Asked by German weekly Bild am Sonntag (BamS) if this is still
possible, Schaeuble said: “Naturally!” He stressed at the same time that
it is key that Greece sticks to the budget consolidation and reform
course agreed with the European Commission, the European Central Bank
and the International Monetary Fund.
Meanwhile, German weekly Der Spiegel reported on Sunday that
Schaeuble had proposed at the Eurogroup meeting last Monday that Greece
should hold a referendum on its Eurozone membership together with its
national elections. The magazine cited no sources for its claim.
Der Spiegel reminded, though, that the German government has denied
that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had proposed such a referendum in a
telephone conversation with Greek president Karolos Papoulias on Friday.
The magazine also reported that the new French President Francois
Hollande would only back the candidacy of Schaeuble for becoming the
next chairman of the Eurogroup if Schaeuble would step down from his job
as German finance minister. However, this is something which Schaeuble
would never accept, Der Spiegel wrote.
–Berlin bureau: +49-30-22 62 05 80; email: twidder@marketnews.com
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