By Ian Talley
WASHINGTON--The White House on Monday called on Greece to
deliver on its previous commitments to overhaul its economy, but
said Athens' creditors must also ensure the country's debt is
sustainable to reach a deal that keeps the nation in the
eurozone.
"It will require both a package of financing and reforms that
will allow Greece to achieve, or at least be on a path towards some
debt sustainability," White House press secretary Josh Earnest
said.
"But it is also important for Greece to implement the kinds of
reforms and to keep the commitments that they've made previously,"
he said.
The White House comments follow an emphatic rejection of
Greece's creditors' bailout terms on Sunday by the country's
voters. They are also at odds with Germany's position as the
eurozone's fiscal hawk opposing debt relief.
Mr. Earnest also played down the potential impact of the Greek
crisis on the U.S., saying the U.S. has little direct exposure to
the country. Still, he warned that if Greece's woes weighed on the
eurozone's economy, it could damp U.S. exports.
The White House spokesman declined to say whether the U.S. would
press the eurozone to restructure Greece's debt. But the
International Monetary Fund has said that Greece's debt will be
unsustainable without debt relief, including extending the
country's debt maturity by 20 years "at a minimum."
Write to Ian Talley at ian.talley@wsj.com