国际英语新闻：Eurozone partners pledge 30 billion euros on Greek rescue package

BRUSSELS, April 11 (Xinhua) --Eurozone finance ministers on Sunday hammered out further details of a Greek rescue package, pledging 30 billion euros (41 billion U.S. dollars) in the first year to bail out debt-hit Greece if necessary.

Finance ministers from the 16-nation euro zone held a rare conference call to find a deal on the remaining details of the Greek rescue package after fresh concerns over a debt default by Athens hit the markets and pushed up the borrowing costs of the Greek government.

"We are now operational if the mechanism has to be activated," Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters in Brussels Sunday after chairing the ministers' conference call. " The initiative for activating the mechanism rests with the Greek government."

Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who is also Chairman of the Eurogroup, speaks during a news conference with European Commissioner for Finance Olli Rehn (not pictured) in Brussels April 11, 2010. Euro zone finance ministers agreed unanimously at a Eurogroup teleconference on Sunday on how to help Greece if needed.

Juncker said all euro zone countries would contribute to the bailout package and provide loans to Greece on bilateral basis as agreed by European Union (EU) leaders at a summit last month.

The total amount would be 30 billion euros for the first year, with further support to be decided later on when there is a necessity, Juncker said.

Juncker said the total amount would be shared by eurozone countries in accordance with their capital base in the European Central Bank (ECB), and the bilateral loans would be coordinated by the European Commission and paid via the ECB.