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France's Hollande wants a comprehensive, lasting accord on Greek debt

Xinhua, June 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

French President Francois Hollande on Monday called for swift moves to bridge gaps between Athens and its creditors in a bid to find "a comprehensive and lasting agreement" in order to avoid a Grexit.

Hours before heading to Brussels to discuss Greece's debt with European partners, Hollande said he hoped to reach a "lasting solution" and "a comprehensive agreement" to avoid a Greek default and preserve market stability in the single-currency bloc.

"If we get a deal tonight, that would be better, but if not, we'll need to set the foundation tonight so that a deal can be reached in the coming days," Hollande told reporters, adding the eventual accord has to "provide Greece with the necessary financing and open up a discussion about Greece's debt for the coming months".

Hollande also pledged "to do anything" to avert Athens' default, reiterating Paris and Berlin's willingness to keep the debt-ridden country in the eurozone.

Refusing to introduce austerity reforms to fix the country's debt, the left-wing Greek government must repay a 1.5-billion- euro (1.7 billion U.S. dollar) loan to the International Monetary Fund next week. But without a deal with its international lenders, it risks default and exit from the eurozone. Endit