France's Hollande says Greece needs to make effort

EUROZONE-GERMANY-HOLLANDE:France's Hollande says Greece needs to make effort

French President Francois Hollande sent a stern message to Athens as he headed into talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, saying Greece must do what is necessary to ensure it can remain in the euro zone.

"We want -- I want -- Greece to be in the euro zone, it's a desire we have expressed since the start of the crisis. It's up to the Greeks to make the effort that is essential for that goal to be met," Hollande said, flanked by Merkel.

Merkel and Hollande were meeting to fine-tune their message to Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras who they will see individually this week as he tries to persuade European partners that Greece needs more time to carry out reforms and meet austerity targets.