WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Finance leaders scrambled to secure aid for debt-stricken Greece as Canada cautioned yesterday that some European countries feared the 45 billion euros under consideration was not enough.
Talks over Greece dominated the annual International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings, a day after Athens bowed to market pressure and asked to tap a rescue package from the European Union and the IMF.
“Some countries think it’s not enough,” Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told reporters when asked about the amount of the aid package being negotiated.
“Some of the G20 countries, including some of the European countries,” he said when asked which countries were concerned. “There is concern about making sure that the package is enough so that it’s a one-time event.”
Flaherty said Group of 20 rich and emerging nations agreed that the Greece crisis could be contained, if dealt with quickly, with little risk of a spread across Europe.