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Monday, June 18, 2012

Germany: substance of Greek reforms non-negotiable

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Monday the substance of Greece's reform programme remained non-negotiable after the election victory for pro-bailout parties, but his country was willing to discuss the time-frame of the reforms.

"I am relieved at the outcome of the election but the work is not yet done," Westerwelle told German radio regarding the narrow victory on Sunday for the conservative New Democracy over the radical leftist SYRIZA block, which opposes the bailout.

"The substance of the reforms is not negotiable," he said. "Whatever government is formed must stick to what has been agreed with Europe."

"But clearly time was lost with the election and we have to talk about what that means for the reforms," added Westerwelle. "We're ready to talk about the time-frame as we can't ignore the lost weeks and we don't want people to suffer because of that."

(Reporting by Stephen Brown and Annika Breidthardt)

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