ECONOMY

Dijsselbloem: ‘no’ vote would not help Greece’s negotiating position

Dijsselbloem: ‘no’ vote would not help Greece’s negotiating position

A "no" vote in Greece's referendum on Sunday would not strengthen the country's negotiating position and would place both Greece and Europe in a "very difficult" position, the chair of the council of Eurozone finance ministers said.

The question to be posed in the referendum relates to documents that have "no relevance" after an emergency funding programme expired on Tuesday, Eurogroup chair Jeroen Dijsselbloem told a Dutch parliamentary committee on Thursday.

Dijsselbloem, who is also Dutch Finance Minister, said an overwhelming majority of Greeks wanted to stay in the euro, and the referendum would show whether they were prepared to accept the austerity needed to do so.

The remarks appeared to be a response to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who on Wednesday said voting "no" in the referendum would help the country achieve more generous conditions and a stronger negotiating position.

[Reuters]

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