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The Belgian central bank chief said that life outside the
euro zone would be far worse for Greek people and warned that if
Athens wanted to be financed by the euro zone, the ECB and the
International Monetary Fund, it had to follow the rules.
"I do not believe there is a radically different way," he told
Belgian daily De Tijd. "Syriza has made promises it can not
keep," he said, adding that the Greek people "will understand
quickly that they were deceived by false promises."
Like his euro zone colleagues, Coene had a clear message for
Greece, saying: "Reform is the only way ... Tell me where the
money should come if the Greeks do not want reform and do not
want to repay other European countries?"
Greeks voted for Alexis Tsipras, leader of Greece's far-left
Syriza party, in January because of his promises to renegotiate
the country's EU/IMF bailout that many feel punished the country
and drove it into an economic depression.
But EU leaders say Greece's prospects have improved greatly
since it nearly crashed out of the euro in 2010 and, as economic
growth returns, urge it to continue the reform process.
Still cut off from financial markets, Tsipras eventually
requested a four-month extension to its euro zone bailout last
month. Athens needs to deliver detailed plans to get new loans.
"If they leave the euro, it will be ten times worse for them.
Ten times," Coene said.
Euro zone finance ministers will discuss Greece's reforms at
their meeting in Brussels on Monday, but time is short, because
Greece is facing big repayments to its creditors and is running
out of cash to fund itself.
(Reporting by Robin Emmott; Editing by Mark Potter)
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