BERLIN (MNI) – The German government said Monday it does not know
of any plans that the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) will
take in the government bonds currently being purchased by the European
Central Bank.
“I have no information that something of this nature is intended,”
government spokesman Christoph Steegmans said at a regular press
conference here.
Steegmans reaffirmed that the decisions by Eurozone leaders from
July 21 on the further measures to overcome the debt crisis will remain
unaltered.
“We have to realize that the solution to the underlying problem of
the debt crisis we are in — debt reduction — has to be taken on over
the long term,” the spokesman cautioned. “This won’t be a thing of a
very short nature.”
Steegmans said the government was “downright pleased” with how
things had developed since the declarations by the ECB and the G7
finance ministers and central bank governors from this weekend. He noted
that Chancellor Angela Merkel had returned from her regular vacation
and was back in Berlin now.
Finance Ministry spokesman Martin Kotthaus said at the same press
conference that he has no knowledge of plans to move forward the G7
finance minister meeting scheduled for September 8-10 in France.
–Berlin bureau: +49-30-22 62 05 80; email: twidder@marketnews.com
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