French, German FinMins meet amid differences over Greece
BERLIN, July 7 | Thu Jul 7, 2011 8:08am EDT
BERLIN, July 7 (Reuters) -
Germany and France's finance ministers will hold their first one-on-one meeting on Thursday as the euro zone's top two economies look to narrow differences over how to involve the private sector in fresh aid for Greece.
Wolfgang Schaeuble and Francois Baroin, who last week took over at France's
finance ministry from IMF-bound Christine Lagarde, will meet for dinner in Berlin.
Conditions for a second aid package for debt-stricken
Greece is likely to top what one source said would be a broad agenda.
"They will discuss a range of issues, including Ecofin issues and maybe also the presidency of the G20 looking forward to Cannes," a German government official said, adding there would be no public appearances. "The agenda is pretty open."
A summit of G20 leaders in November in Cannes will conclude France's presidency of the group of top economies.
Europe's paymaster Germany, which faces fierce resistance to further bailouts at home, is particularly insistent on the private sector making a "substantial contribution" to the next Greek rescue.
Schaeuble wrote to his euro zone colleagues, the European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund last month proposing a debt swap, whereby banks holding Greek
bonds would exchange them for new ones with maturities seven years longer.
Paris reacted coolly to the proposal and French banks instead proposed a voluntary debt rollover.
But Berlin put the idea of a bond swap back on the table after rating agency Standard & Poor's said on Monday that France's proposal would involve losses to debt holders, most likely earning Greece a "selective default" rating.
In his previous role as budget minister, Baroin advocated fiscal discipline and economic convergence with Germany, albeit at a gradual pace and without painful austerity measures.