Greece to hold referendum on EU bailout
Greek Prime Minister Georg Papandreou has called a referendum on the new EU bailout package, amid risks that a no vote could spell disaster for the eurozone.
Papandreou said if the Greek people do not want the deal that is designed to slash the country's mountain of debt by nearly a third, it will not be adopted.
He gave no date or other details on the proposed referendum, which would be the first in Greece since 1974.
"This will be the referendum: the citizen will be called upon to say a big 'yes' or a big 'no' to the new loan arrangement," he told Socialist members of parliament.
"This is a supreme act of democracy and of patriotism for the people to make their own decision ... we have a duty to promote the role and the responsibility of the citizen."
Papandreou said he would also ask for a vote of confidence to secure support for his austerity measures policy.
The announcement comes as Greece faces delicate negotiations with its eurozone peers on the details of last week's agreement and with global bankers asked to accept a 50% loss on their Greek debt holdings.
European leaders finally agreed the elements of the debt deal last week, following marathon talks in Brussels.
It was decided banks will have to accept a 40% write-down on any Greek debt they hold - higher than the 40% they had originally tabled.
It was also agreed that the €440 billion bailout fund will be increased to around €1 trillion.