EU officials say referendum is on euro or drachma

A number of European leaders warned Greece on Monday that Greeks face a choice between the euro and the drachma when they go to vote on Sunday, regardless of the government insisting that a no vote would allow it to return to negotiations.

“I will tell the Greeks, who I love deeply, that you shouldn’t choose suicide just because you are afraid of death,” said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker during a lengthy address in Brussels.

“A no would mean, regardless of the question posed, that Greece had said no to Europe,” he stressed.

During his speech, Juncker defended his role in the negotiating process over the last few months and accused the Greek government of making talks more complicated and slower than they needed to be.

“It must be crystal-clear what is being decided: It is essentially the question yes or no to remaining in the eurozone,” said German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel after a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Merkel said she was ready to restart talks with Athens after the referendum, including on its debt, but said the vote would be strictly about whether Greeks want to remain in the euro.

“Should the Greek government ask for negotiations, for example after the referendum, we would of course not refuse,” she told reporters. The outcome of the popular vote is “of course to do with the future of the euro,” she added.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi echoed these thoughts in a message on Twitter, in which he also made reference to Juncker’s speech earlier.

“The point is: Greek referendum won’t be a derby EU Commission vs Tsipras, but euro vs dracma [sic]. This is the choice,” tweeted Renzi.