Wijze woorden van een zwakke broeder:
MADRID--Spain's ruling conservative party said Monday it will oppose any plan to forgive Greek debt, a sign that Greece's Syriza may struggle to implement key parts of its political platform following its election win.
Esteban Gonzalez Pons, head of Spain's Popular Party in the European Parliament, said the euro is "irreversible" and the eurozone is fully prepared to withstand a possible Greek exit, which he called a likely "disaster" for the country if it happens.
"If we start playing this game of the more radical you are the more debt we're going to forgive you, we're simply opening the door to have the European Union dismembered," Mr. Gonzalez Pons said.
His remarks come as Spanish politicians on Monday rejected comparisons between Greece's Syriza, the victorious left-wing party in Sunday's general election, and Podemos, a rising radical leftist party in Spain.
Spanish government officials, as well as the Socialist leader of the opposition, Pedro Sánchez, said specific Greek conditions, which are unlikely to be replicated in Spain, led to Syriza's victory. Industry Minister José Manuel Soria, the highest-ranking government official to speak publicly on the issue Monday, blamed the results on unparalleled "political turmoil" in Greece following a European Union bailout.
"It must be clear that the situation in Greece is very unlike that of other European countries, especially Spain," Mr. Soria told state-owned TV network TVE.
"Greece lost control of its own destiny years ago, when [former] Socialist Prime Minister (George) Papandreou showed himself unable to face systemic imbalances and asked for a bailout," Mr. Soria said. "That is precisely what we avoided in Spain."
Syriza's win resonates in Spain particularly because of the recent rise of Podemos. Podemos was the most prominent foreign supporter of Syriza during the recent election campaign, and is currently leading in some opinion polls in Spain. Mr. Soria conceded Monday that the two parties have shared radical recipes.
He also criticized Socialist Party and opposition leader Pedro Sánchez, who has tried to move the party to the left while staying away from openly anti-austerity statements, noting that the collapse of the center-left in Greece left the door open for Syriza's ascent.
"If the Socialists try to emulate the radicals, it is very likely that these radical left parties will win that battle against them," Mr. Soria said.
Speaking in Madrid, Mr. Sánchez set his own political platform apart from Syriza's and Podemos'. He said Syriza's win should drive changes in Europe's economic policies, but also urged the new Greek government to implement reforms and put an end to chronic budget deficits there.
"Greece can't be forced out of the euro," Mr Sanchez said. "We must move precisely in the opposite direction, towards sharing the debt burden."