Greek Prime Minister reiterates Greece will not leave eurozone

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou reiterated on Sunday (June 27th) that nobody has put the issue of Greece leaving the eurozone on the table. In an interview with the BBC, Papandreou said that Athens has taken all necessary measures to avoid this option, and the fact that an EU/IMF mechanism has been established to support its efforts shows that Europe wants it to remain part of the common currency area. On Saturday, an IMF official expressed confidence that Greece will be able to overcome its debt crisis by implementing the government’s austerity plan. In an interview with the To Vima daily, Poul Thomsen, head of the IMF mission dealing with Greece, said the country is making progress. As for public protests against the measures, Thomsen said “such an adjustment is not easy and often causes discontent,” adding that “people see things getting worse before they improve”. A new general strike is scheduled for Tuesday.