Greece Debt Crisis: U.S. Warns Athens to Reach Deal or Face ‘Decline’

ATHENS, Greece — The United States turned up the heat on the Greek government over its debt crisis Saturday, urging it to reach a deal with creditors as wearied citizens braced for a national default.

 

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said in an interview that the government in Athens should make tough fiscal decisions or risk devastating both the country’s economy and people.

 

“I think we’re at a moment now where the burden is on Greece to come back with a response that’s the basis for reaching an agreement as quickly as possible,” he said in an episode of CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” program that will air on Sunday, according to a transcript provided to Reuters.

 

“It’s clear that within Greece, the consequence of a failure here would mean a terrible, terrible decline in their economic performance,” he said. “It will hurt the Greek people. They will bear the first brunt of a failure here.”

 

Billions of dollars a day are being withdrawn from banks, raising the prospect that the country might have to limit ATM transactions among other capital controls.

 

Read More: Greece Debt Crisis: U.S. Warns Athens to Reach Deal or Face ‘Decline’ – NBC News