German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble reiterated his opposition to an outright writedown of the face value of Greek debt in an interview with Deutsche Welle published on Saturday.
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The spokesman said the issue would be among topics discussed when eurozone finance ministers meet in Brussels Friday.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday defended her government’s hard line in negotiations with Greece on a new rescue package, saying it had spurred Athens to commit to necessary reforms.
Greece will receive an initial EUR13 billion aid payment “very early” on Thursday, said Klaus Regling, the head of the eurozone’s bailout fund. That day, Greece must repay EUR3.2 billion, plus interest on its debt, to the European Central Bank.
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said the bailout agreement is an important step forward for Greece, but more needs to be done, especially in providing debt relief to Athens.
“Trust has returned between finance ministers and the Greek government and this trust was indispensable”, Sapin told reporters at a press conference after the meeting in Brussels ended.
“It’s comprehensive, it’s an ambitious reform package”, said Dijsselbloem. I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart both people in Greece and the technical teams and the advisers who have worked for this deal, and also the institutions.
“This deal – we have never hidden the fact – has many opportunities”. How they are handled will be key.
Greece was forced to temporarily close banks and introduce capital controls in June to prevent money from flowing out of the country after failing to reach a deal extending its previous bailout.
Prime Minister and Syriza party leader Alexis Tsipras faced tough opposition in the parliament, but argued that the bailout deal and the overhaul the party is promising for it, are the best solution for the Eurozone and Greece.
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That stance that has scored points with voters at home but raised hackles in other euro zone states, whose governments have throughout the crisis urged the citizens of Europe’s richest country to help kick-start the region’s recovery by spending more freely.
