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Greece rejects reports it may default on half its 350 bln euro sovereign debt

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The Greek government on Monday rejected media reports that it may default on up to half of its 350 billion euro sovereign debt.

The Greek government on Monday rejected media reports that it may default on up to half of its 350 billion euro sovereign debt.

These scenarios are not being discussed, the Greek government's spokesman Ilias Mosialos said.

The Greek authorities continue working together with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund on the country's financial program until 2014, Mosialos told journalists.

The EU and the IMF have said they may not provide in October the next 8 billion euro tranche out of a 110 billion euro bailout, if Greece fails to meet the agreed budget deficit target even after last week's announcements of further austerity measures, including large redundancies, wage and pension cuts.

Earlier on Monday, European Commission spokesman Amadeu Altafaj Tardio said that the European Union does not want a "managed default" of debt-ridden Greece because this will affect the global economy.

As the idea of a Greek default has gained pace, there is talk that international authorities were working on a plan towards a "managed default" for Greece some time around the next G20 meeting in Paris in November. The biggest fear is that Greece's default on its sovereign debt might trigger a widespread sell-off of the eurozone debt and lead to a much broader financial crisis.

The head of Russia's largest bank, German Gref, said on Monday that delayed efforts by the European authorities to solve the debt crisis in Europe could cause a repetition of the 2008 global crisis.

"The decision must not be delayed. It is critically important that Europe should take any decision and outline it clearly. If this (uncertainty) continues, we'll largely repeat the 2008 crisis in terms of consequences," Gref said.

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