A default by Greece on its debt obligations is not and has never been an option, a spokeswoman for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday. A Greek “default is not on the table, has not been on the table” insisted IMF director of external relations Caroline Atkinson.
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet faced down pressure for new moves to shore up the weakest Eurozone countries, but kept options open even as he said Spain and Portugal were “not Greece”.
Banks in the United Kingdom and Europe risk their credit ratings being damaged because of “contagion” from Greece's debt crisis, a ratings agency has warned. Moody's said banking systems faced “very real, common threats” if doubts were raised about their governments' abilities to pay debts. It referred specifically to UK, Irish, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish banking systems.
The European Central Bank (ECB) has moved to shore up the €110 billion EU/IMF rescue of Greece by offsetting the impact of the “junk” rating on the country’s debt.
The head of the International Monetary Fund has warned that the crisis in Greece could spread throughout Europe. Dominique Strauss-Kahn said that every day lost in resolving Greece's problems risks spreading the impact “far away”.