The dome of the Capitol is reflected in a puddle in Washington February 17, 2012.REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Another debt ceiling debacle could sink the economy

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EU's Juncker sees no need for budget envoy on Greece

BERLIN | Tue Jan 31, 2012 1:56am EST

BERLIN (Reuters) - The head of the Eurogroup, Jean-Claude Juncker, said on Tuesday he saw no need to appoint a "budget commissioner" with the power to veto budget decisions taken by the Greek government.

Greece, which has repeatedly failed to meet fiscal targets set out by its international lenders, has reacted angrily to German calls for the appointment of such an official, saying it would be an affront to national sovereignty.

Juncker, speaking on German radio, also said there was a possibility for Athens to reach an agreement by the end of this week with its private creditors on a writedown of their Greek debt holdings, echoing comments from Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos at a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Monday.

(Reporting by Gareth Jones)

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