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Germany says EU summit not to take decision on Greece

26 June 2012 01:51 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. European Union (EU) leaders won’t take a decision on debt-laden Greece at this week’s summit, until international auditors examine the country’s economic situation, a German government spokesman said Monday, APA reports quoting XInhua.

Officials from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, also known as "troika," would go to Athens and evaluate the latest development of Greece’s reform and bailout package, said federal government spokesman Steffen Seibert at a press conference.

Before the auditors came back with a report, EU leadership would not make a decision on what’s next for the Athens, which means that no concrete decision on Greece could be reached at the closely-watched EU summit in Brussels this week, Seibert said.

Meanwhile, Martin Kotthaus, spokesman of German finance ministry, told reporters at the same conference that the schedule of troika has been postponed due to health problems of new Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Finance Minister Vassilis Rapanos who later announced resignation.

The troika had planned to arrive in Athens on Monday. A new date for the visit has not been set yet.

The upcoming EU summit seemed crucial for the struggling Greece, which has suffered a lingering crisis and consecutive recessions. The Athens has strived for softer terms of international bailout and extension to its fiscal consolidation period.

However, Germany, Europe’s strongest economy and biggest single contributor to the rescue fund, remained coldish on the idea of loosening the bondage.

On Monday, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in Brussels that countries which get the lifeline from the EU should stick to their commitments, and the bailout program "should stand as it was agreed."

"One thing is clear -- we cannot allow everything to be renegotiated," he said. "It is necessary to keep the commitment of reforms."