Italy, Spain to follow if Greece exits eurozone, says Greek defense minister

Panos Kammenos, Greece’s defense minister, spoke to German newspaper “Bild” on Saturday, saying his country’s leaving the euro could precede an exit by Italy and Spain, followed by Germany in the future. “If Greece explodes, Spain and Italy will be next and then at some point, Germany. We therefore need to find a way within the eurozone, but this way cannot be that the Greeks keep on having to pay,” Kammenos told Bild. Berlin to pay for WWII reparations Instead of a bailout, Greece needed a debt “haircut” like the one Germany’s creditors had to accept in 1953, Kammenos proposed. He also argued that Berlin should pay World War II reparations to Athens. “All European countries have been compensated for crimes committed by Nazis, except for Greece,” Kammenos said, referring to the gold Nazi soldiers brought back from Athens during the war. The defense minister also accused Germany of “interfering” in its domestic affairs. His criticism was aimed at German Finance Minister Schäuble, who earlier warned of a “Grexident” which could push Athens out of the euro. “I don’t understand why he turns against Greece every day in new statements. It’s like a psychological war and Schäuble is poisoning the relationship between the two countries through that,” he said.

Source and full story: Deutsche Welle, 14 March 2015