CORRECTED-UPDATE 1-No risk of Greek default - French debt agency AFT
(Corrects paragraph 11 to make clear Greece unlikely not to
find funding on the market and clarifies bill auction not bond)
* French debt agency says no risk of Greek default
* French aid pledge for Greece will not affect 2010 issuance
* Low interest rates, high tax returns ensure wiggle room
(Adds details)
By Raoul Sachs
PARIS, April 21 (Reuters) - There is no risk of a Greek
default and the French aid package pledged on Wednesday would
have no impact on France's issuance of treasury debt, the head
of debt management agency Agence France Tresor said.
Greece on Wednesday started talks with EU and International
Monetary Fund officials to hammer out details of an economic
plan that could offer the euro zone member 40 billion to 45
billion euros to exit a debt crisis. [ID:nLDE63K0CE]
"No ... it's not a question of default of Greece. ...
Because now with the euro zone and IMF support, a (Greek)
default is not possible," Philippe Mills told reporters in a
call.
France on Wednesday pledged 6.3 billion euros ($8.47
billion) in aid for debt-stricken Greece should Greece seek
European Union aid.
The 6.3 billion euro figure is part of 30 billion euros of
euro zone emergency aid earmarked for Greece. Out of the 6.3
billion euros, 3.9 billion could be mobilised during France's
2010 fiscal year.
The French aid package would have no impact on treasury bill
issuance, Mills added.
The 3.9 billion euros would be financed by improved treasury
inflows from premiums on the issuance of pre-existing bonds,
better tax receipts since the beginning of this year and a
revision of treasury accounts, Mills added.
Greece has yet to ask for activation of the package, which
at 30 billion euros from euro zone states and 10 billion to 15
billion from the IMF in the first year, would be the largest
such bailout ever tried if Greece south it.
France has committed to a funding programme of around
two-thirds of its part of the 30 billion euro package for
several reasons, Mills said.
"Greece has not asked for the activation of the support
package. So we have to present to parliament a financing program
which must be, by definition, a sincere financing programme," he
said. "To retain the full amount of the 6.3 billion euros would
not have been sincere at this stage."
In addition, it was "highly unlikely" that Greece would not
find any funding on the market until the end of this year. It
had demonstrated it is able to finance itself on the market,
Mills said, referring to the country's bill auction on Tuesday,
which he said had healthy bid-to-cover ratios.
Another reason was that having to fund the full 6.3 billion
euros was not the most probable scenario based on France's
bailout of its banks in 2008, Mills added.
Less than a third of France's total guarantee scheme of 360
billion euros for its banks suffering from the financial crisis
was actually spent, Mills said, which meant it was unlikely that
France would need to spend the full 6.3 billion euros on Greece.
(Writing by Sophie Taylor; Editing by Neil Stempleman)
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Keywords: FRANCE BONDS/AFT
17:18-21/04