Austrian
finance minister sees lack of trust in Greece
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[March 21, 2015]
VIENNA (Reuters) - Greece must
cooperate with international creditors and boost confidence among its
euro zone partners about economic reforms, Austrian Finance Minister
Hans Joerg Schelling said in a radio interview, adding a lack of trust
was a major problem.
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If Athens does not step up efforts to honor terms of its current
bailout package, it will find few allies in Europe should it need a
third rescue, he added in an interview with Austrian ORF radio aired
on Saturday.
He was speaking after European Union leaders welcomed a pledge from
Greece to meet demands for a broad package of economic reform
proposals within days to unlock the cash Athens needs to avoid
crashing out of the euro zone.
Schelling, a conservative who has consistently taken a hard line
with Athens, dismissed suggestions it was Greece versus Germany in
the current debate. All euro zone members insist Greece respects the
rules to let more money flow, he said.
"We have two problems at the moment. One is (a) problem of trust
with Greece, because when we decide something it is something else
again the next day," he said.
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"The second problem is we are not getting facts and figures and it
is very difficult to decide on (the basis of) nothing."
He noted Greece's accord with euro zone finance ministers spelled
out that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's government should not
introduce measures in parliament that have not been agreed in
advance.
"But they do this every day, and that does not promote the basis of
trust. That is the biggest problem we have at the moment," Schelling
said.
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Asked about prospects for a third bailout package for Greece,
Schelling said this would be legally possible only once the second
one was successfully concluded.
"This process is under way now. According to many assessments it may
not conclude successfully," he said without making clear to whose
assessments he referred.
"We have said clearly that we want to help Greece but it also has to
accept the help. Every program has certain conditions and these
conditions are to be respected, but if one doesn't want to respect
the conditions then I think most countries are no longer ready to go
into a third package."
(Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Mark Potter)
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