EU should be ready to help Greece: IMF head

(PARIS) - Eurozone member states should be ready to help Greece with the difficult austerity measures it is taking to put its strained finances in order, the head of the International Monetary Fund said Thursday.

The measures Greece plans to curb its public deficit and debt "are very difficult," IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn told RTL Radio.

"The problem is difficult for the eurozone too but I think even so, the eurozone cannot afford not to help Greece in some form or another," he said.

"We, (the IMF), we are there to help countries. I have a mission (to Greece) which is providing technical help as requested by the Greek government.

"If we are asked to get involved, then we will do so but I totally understand that the Europeans want to resolve this problem between themselves," he said.

On Tuesday, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou ordered a public salary freeze, a higher retirement age and a hike in petrol prices, supplementing a crisis plan unveiled last month to reassure the financial markets.

The EU approved the plans on Wednesday but also put Greece under close monitoring to ensure that it fully implements the tough medicine in the face of widespread popular opposition.