German finance minister skeptical on quick Greek solution

BERLIN: Germany's finance minister says he's very skeptical that officials from the 19 countries that use the euro will reach a deal on Greece's debt when they meet on Monday.

The new Greek government is seeking short-term ``bridge financing'' until a new solution to Greece's crushing debt load is found.

Asked if he expects a solution at Monday's meeting of eurozone finance ministers, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said that what he's heard of technical-level talks over the weekend makes him ``very skeptical.''

Schaeuble told Deutschlandfunk radio that ``Greece must see that you can't keep living above your means and then keep making proposals for how others should pay even more.''

Schaeuble said: ``I feel sorry for the Greeks. They've elected a government that's behaving pretty irresponsibly at the moment.''