Greece bankruptcy will have domino effect

Dutch finance minister Jan Kees de Jager (left) said it would be impossible to predict what would happen if Greece went bankrupt other than that it would cause a domino effect in the euro zone that had to be avoided. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

AMSTERDAM - DUTCH finance minister Jan Kees de Jager said it would be impossible to predict what would happen if Greece went bankrupt other than that it would cause a domino effect in the euro zone that had to be avoided.

'I continue to hear noises that Greece should leave the euro or go bankrupt. I understand those feelings but people who express them have not seen all the consequences,' Mr De Jager said in a posting on his ministry's website.

The Netherlands cannot let Greece return to the drachma because it would not be able to pay back its debts, he said.

Instead, the country should continue to take all the necessary measures to reform, Mr De Jager added. -- REUTERS