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Obama urges
Greeks to stay in euro
US President Barack Obama emphasized on Friday that life outside the eurozone
would be far worse for Greeks than the austerity measures demanded in exchange
for financial aid from Europeans whom he pressed to take action to stabilize the
bloc.
Addressing reporters in Washington, Obama said the Greek people must
recognize, ahead of crucial general elections on June 17, “that their hardships
will likely be worse” if they choose to leave the euro.
In a nod to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois
Hollande, Obama urged European leaders to pursue growth alongside austerity,
noting that they have the support of the US, whose economy is inextricably
linked to theirs.
Merkel, for her part, once again reiterated her desire that Greece remain in
the eurozone, but as long as it honors the terms of the foreign bailout known as
the memorandum. “This memorandum is the foundation for a favorable development
and we have to say that clearly to all those who are seeking election in
Greece,” she said.
Former European Commission President Romano Prodi told Italian newspaper Il
Sole 24 Ore that Greece is “a test for the future of Europe” and would also test
the ability of EU member states to remain united.
Meanwhile Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed “solidarity”
with Greece, backpedaling on disparaging comments earlier this week. “Our
culture dictates that we cannot sleep with a full stomach when our neighbor is
hungry,” he said.
The comments came a few days after the Turkish PM, in response to a comment
by an opposition party leader who had claimed that the Greek economy was in a
better state than the Turkish one, had described Greece as “going cap in hand”
to international creditors. | 
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