Juncker says Greece will not leave euro zone

VIENNA (AFP) - Greece will not leave the euro zone, Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker was quoted as saying on Saturday ahead of his talks in Athens on the country possibly being given more time to implement austerity cuts.

"No, I don't think it will happen," Mr Juncker, head of the euro zone finance ministers group and Luxembourg prime minister, told the Tiroler Tageszeitung Austrian daily when asked if Greece might leave the troubled currency bloc.

"It won't happen ... If Greece refused outright budget consolidation and structural reforms then we would have to consider this question (of a Greek exit).

"But because I believe that Greece will try to redouble its efforts to meet its targets there is no reason to expect this exit scenario will become relevant," he told the local paper in an interview.