Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Minister says Greece making 'superhuman' efforts

Updated at 9:41 pm on 15 February 2012

Greece's public order minister says the coalition government has made superhuman efforts to comply with the Eurozone's austerity demands to secure a economic bailout.

Christos Papoutsis says the country's social and economic system is stretched to its limits.

He was speaking after the cancellation of a meeting of Eurozone finance ministers on the bailout, which Greece needs to avoid defaulting on its debts next month.

Eurozone ministers, who had demanded Greece find an extra €325m of savings, had been set to meet in Brussels.

Current Eurozone president Jean-Claude Juncker said the talks would be replaced by a conference call

Mr Juncker says the Greek coalition has not shown how it will make the extra cuts they are demanding, nor has it given a cast-iron commitment to stick to them.

Greece urgently needs €130 billion to avoid defaulting on its debts in March.

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