German Chancellor Angela Merkel played down prospects of a breakthrough with Greece in the coming days, but said she stood ready to restart talks with the government in Athens after a planned referendum on Sunday.
“Should the Greek government ask for negotiations, for example after the referendum (next Sunday), we would of course not refuse,” she told reporters after meeting with parliamentary and party leaders.
Merkel told, Creditors made an offer that represented their compromise, yet Greece didn’t want a compromise, she said, adding that “nobody can get 100 percent” in negotiations.
Merkel also criticized the government of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras for failing to compromise with its euro zone partners after receiving what she called a “generous” offer. Merkel said she was “split” on the July 5 referendum. “On the one hand, it has to do with the euro’s future,” while on the other “no one wants to influence” the Greek people as they make their choice. “We have to be careful what message we send,” she said.
Sigmar Gabriel, the economics minister and vice chancellor who heads Ms. Merkel’s left-of-center governing partner, the Social Democrats, backed up his boss with even tougher language.
“That Greek citizens will decide in a referendum is absolutely legitimate,” Mr. Gabriel said. “But it must be crystal clear what is being decided. It is, at the core, yes or no to remaining in the eurozone.”
Standing by his side at the news conference, Ms. Merkel didn’t repeat that warning, saying she didn’t want to be seen as trying to influence a decision of the Greek people.
But Mr. Gabriel’s comment was the most direct public warning yet of a possible Greek euro exit from a German leader, and it echoed signals from German officials over the weekend that they would see the referendum as a vote on Greece’s eurozone membership.
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