Banks asked to roll over Greek debt: Wellink

AMSTERDAM: Banks are being asked to roll over their loans to Greece and Europe may give the heavily indebted country more money, European Central Bank Governing Council member Nout Wellink said on Sunday.

"We are trying, in what is called in official terms the Vienna initiative, to persuade banks to stay in those countries after 2012 and when debt matures to keep active in those countries," Wellink told told Dutch current affairs television programme Buitenhof when asked about Greece.

"I think the governments of Europe temporarily need to make available some additional refinancing money," Wellink said.

Copyright Reuters, 2011