Cameron Urges Greek Crisis Dialogue

Cameron Urges Greek Crisis Dialogue
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Greece and its eurozone partners must get involved in discussions to find a "sustainable solution" to the country's debt crisis, Downing Street has said.

Prime Minister David Cameron held emergency talks with Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and ministers including Chancellor George Osborne to discuss the possible impact on the UK of Sunday's referendum in Greece, which delivered a landslide 61%-39% No vote to austerity measures demanded by creditors in return for a new bailout package.

Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has quit to smooth the path for further negotiations, while the two biggest players in the eurozone - German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Francois Hollande - were meeting in Paris for crisis talks ahead of a summit of single currency leaders in Brussels on Tuesday.

Following this morning's meeting in Whitehall, Mr Cameron's official spokeswoman told reporters: "The Prime Minister's view is that this is an issue that needs to be discussed between Greece and its eurozone partners. It is for them to work together on a sustainable solution."

The spokeswoman declined to say whether Mr Cameron thought that the solution should involve Greece leaving the single currency.

Asked whether the PM wanted the country to remain in the EU, she replied: "We supported Greece becoming a member and we support the EU at 28 (member countries)."

Mr Osborne was due to update MPs on the situation in Greece in a statement to the House of Commons at around 3.30pm. Meanwhile, the Foreign Office's travel advice has been updated to reflect the outcome of Sunday's poll.

British tourists are advised to make sure they take "sufficient euros in cash to cover the duration of your stay, emergencies, unforeseen circumstances and any unexpected delays" as well as to take security precautions against theft.

The advice adds: "There are currently no restrictions on taking unspent euros out of Greece at the end of your stay."