In an interview with German television ARD on Sunday, Roesler said that the existence of Greece in the eurozone is in the hands of the Greeks.
However, the minister later added that the “D-Day” of a possible exit of Greece from the 17 nation bloc is “less and less scary.”
“We are ready to help. But once again: we have and want only to help if there is something in return from the Greek side,” he added.
Meanwhile, Greek lawmakers are expected to vote on new sets of austerity measures as part of a new international bailout package needed to avoid bankruptcy. Thousands of protesters are staying outside the parliament throughout the vote.
The reforms are needed for Greece to receive a second bailout worth 130 billion euros from the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank.
The international lenders have demanded Greece to come up with EUR 3.2 billion in spending cuts for 2012 by making cuts to private sector wages and pensions, public sector layoffs and cuts in health, pensions and defense spending.
Roesler is the third German minister warning Athens of implementing the reforms quickly.
On Thursday, Germany’s foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, warned that Greece’s future in the eurozone and Europe depends on its agreement to the new bailout plan.
Greece has the highest debt burden in proportion to the size of its economy in the 17-nation eurozone. Despite austerity cuts and the bailout funds, the country has been in recession since 2009.
PG/PKH
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Greece wake up!!!
Don’t take the bailout from the tax payers, just to pay it back to the German Jewish criminal Bankers that sold you the debt in the first place.