AMSTERDAM |Thu Nov 24, 2011 3:36pm EST
AMSTERDAM(Reuters) - The Dutch finance minister moved closer to endorsing theEuropean Central Bank's (ECB) role as lender of last resort on Thursday,as the Netherlands appeared to break ranks with Germany over how to resolve the euro zone debt crisis.
Dutch Finance Minister Jan Keesde Jager told a parliamentary hearing the Netherlands would prefer thatthe European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), the euro zone bailout fund, should be strengthened.
But he said that if the EFSF did not succeed, other measures would have to be considered.
"Ina crisis one should never exclude anything beforehand. In the end,something has to happen," he said, Dutch newswire ANP reported.
The Netherlands, Germany and Finland will meet on Friday to talk about Greece and the next aid tranche Athens is scheduled to get.
"Regardingthe ECB, our position is very close to or the same as Germany's. If youconsider the ECB to be independent, politicians should restrainthemselves in what they say about the ECB," De Jager said.
"Idon't want to suggest that I'm pro or con," any action from the ECB, hetold the hearing, adding that the European Central Bank should remainneutral and independent.
"The ECB should stay independent, so no vetos on what they should or should not do," he said.
But De Jager said there was not much political support in some countries for raising the EFSF's financial firepower.
"Aslong as we are working on strengthening the EFSF -- which has my clearpreference - we should put maximum effort on that," he told the hearing.
(Reporting By Bouke Bergsma; Writing by Sara Webb)
https://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/24/us-dutch-eurozone-idUSTRE7AN1T420111124