Germany focused on ensuring Greek bailout review is successful, FinMin spokesman says
Germany is focused on ensuring that a review of Greece's bailout is successful, a Finance Ministry spokeswoman said when asked about remarks by Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble that Athens would have to leave the eurozone if it ignored its commitments.
"We are at the moment engaged in ensuring that a review of the current third program is successful. That's where all our efforts are focused," ministry spokeswoman Friederike von Tiesenhausen told a government news conference on Friday.
A senior eurozone official had said earlier that lenders in the single currency bloc and the International Monetary Fund had reached an agreement between themselves on a common stance they will present to Greece, signaling a breakthrough.
"That is pleasing. That shows that the IMF has been playing a constructive role. But I would like to point out that from a procedural perspective an agreement among the institutions is one step, but it is also important that we have an agreement between the institutions and Greece," she added.
A meeting between the lenders and Greek officials is scheduled for later on Friday. [Reuters]
