|
Coeure told French daily Le Monde that all euro zone countries
wanted Greece to remain in the shared currency bloc and were
prepared to offer "unprecedented financial solidarity" as long
as Greece carried out reforms.
"In truth, the question is not whether to restructure Greece's
debt but rather how to do it so that it would be really useful
for the country's economy," he said.
"That's why it's important to make this restructuring, whatever
form it takes, conditional on the application of measures that
reinforce the economy and ensure the sustainability of Greek
public finances," he added.
Coeure defended the European Central Bank in the face of
criticism about its handling of Greece, saying that the ECB had
always stuck to its mandate during the crisis.
With five months of negotiations causing huge economic and
financial costs for Greece, he said the crisis had exposed how
deeply flawed the euro zone's decision-making was and urged more
integration in order to take tough decisions effectively.
"The genie of euro zone exit has escaped in the Greek crisis and
won't easily get back in the bottle," he said.
(Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Editing by Geert De Clercq and Hugh
Lawson)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
