EUROZONE-GREECE/ECOFIN ARRIVALS Britain's Osborne says eurozone must "foot its own bill" for Greece

Record ID: 147083

  • Title: EUROZONE-GREECE/ECOFIN ARRIVALS Britain's Osborne says eurozone must "foot its own bill" for Greece
  • Date: 14th July 2015
  • Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JULY 14, 2015) (REUTERS) JOURNALISTS
  • Embargoed: 29th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAAWQDIJXAKW8HSPQ2BAYMYG8LO
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: European Union finance ministers started a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday (July 14) where they were expected to discuss emergency funding for Greece.
    Britain ruled out any participation.
    "Britain is not in the euro so the idea that British taxpayers are going to be on the line for this Greek deal is a complete non-starter," British Finance Minister George Osborne told reporters upon his arrival.
    "The eurozone needs to foot its own bill," he said.
    Dutch Finance Minister and Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said "we're looking at all the instruments and funds that we could use and all of them seem to have disadvantages or impossibilities or legal objections, so we're still working on it."
    Alexander Stubb, until recently the prime minister of Finland and now its finance minister, told reporters some kind of solution had to be found in regards to emergency financing.
    "Perhaps some member states want to give bilateral loans, that could be always possible. So you never know," he said.
    Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had less than 48 hours on Tuesday to pass a series of pro-market reforms in parliament and smother dissent from hardliners within his own ranks as he races to meet the terms of an unpopular bailout deal.
    Having staved off financial meltdown with a new agreement from Greece's international creditors, Tsipras now faces the anger of lawmakers and the public for agreeing to measures much tougher than those rejected in a referendum on July 5.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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