Biden: US ready to help Greece

5 Dec 2011

The United States will support Greece in these difficult times, US Vice-President Joe Biden told reporters ahead of a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos on Monday, without spelling out any concrete help. "We stand with you in solidarity as you meet some difficult requirements of the IMF and European Union," Biden said. "We stand ready to help in every way we can." Papademos said he was confident Athens could count on the support of the United States. Biden was in Athens before EU leaders meet for a key summit on the debt crisis in Brussels on Friday. Asked what his message to Europe was, Biden said: "Hang in there." "With a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck, a year from now we will have not only weathered this crisis, but even be in a stronger position," he added. Earlier on Monday, Biden joked about bringing money to help Greece out of its deepest financial crisis in decades. Introducing a member of his delegation during a meeting with President Karolos Papoulias, Biden said: "This man represents the Treasury department. He's brought hundreds of millions of dollars." His comments drew laughs from both the Greek and US delegations. (Reuters)