Ansip: Greek 'No' Not Equal to Eurozone Decampment
Contrary to some other Eurozone heads of state, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip does not see a potential vote against the Greek bailout package equaling a fast-track exit from the Eurozone.
"I do not agree with those who say [a 'no' vote] would mean an automatic Eurozone exit," Ansip said at a Cabinet press conference today.
Ansip also said he expects a positive outcome from the Greek referendum. "I believe that the Greek people will consult their common sense and vote in favor of these austerity measures," he said.
Naturally, it will depend on the question posed, Ansip said. "If it is phrased so that the choice will be between staying or leaving, all the future actions will be predetermined by that decision."
Ansip called Greek PM Georgios Papandreou's decision to call a referendum over the bailout measures "unexpected but not surprising." He said such reforms cannot be pushed through without public support. "All in all, our own cuts were relatively modest compared to what Greece has already done," he said.
The statement differs sharply from Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi's comment yesterday, in which Ligi, aligning with the Merkel-Sarkozy line, said Greece's turning-down of the agreed bailout package would effectively mean the country's exit from the Eurozone.
Erkki Sivonen