BERLIN (MNI) – Germany’s Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said
Monday he is confident of getting a bill on financial aid for Greece
through the German parliament before Greek’s next debt auction on May
19.
The Minister said after a meeting with the leaders of all German
parliamentary groups that they had signaled their “basic willingness” to
get such a bill swiftly through parliament.
Schaeuble said an aid bill will be introduced into parliament right
after Greece has finished its deliberations with the EU Commission, the
IMF and the ECB about further budget consolidation measures over the
coming years. “We’re pushing for these talks to be finished by the end
of the week,” he said.
Germany is willing to act in a coordinated manner with its Eurozone
peers and the IMF on aid for Greece, Schaeuble pledged, arguing that
defending the stability of the euro was in the national interest of
Germany.
The Minister dismissed calls for a moratorium on Greek debt
payments, stressing that the Eurozone countries will stick to their
outlined aid plan for Greece.
Eurozone members have said they will provide up to E30 billion in
bilateral loans for Greece this year in a joint programme with the IMF.
Germany’s share would amount to up to E8.4 billion. The exact IMF
contribution isn’t yet known.
Schaeuble said last week that most experts estimated the likely IMF
contribution between E10 billion and E15 billion.
–Berlin bureau: +49-30-22 62 05 80; email: twidder@marketnews.com
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