BBC: Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has likened the country's budget crisis to a "wartime situation".
He said Greece was at risk of bankruptcy if it did not take radical extra measures to cut its debts.
The comments come as Mr Papandreou is due to announce further big budget cuts following the pressure from the EU.
The government in Athens has pledged to reduce its deficit from 12.7% - more than four times eurozone rules - to 8.7% during 2010.
It also also seeking to reduce its 300bn euros ($419bn; £259bn) debt.
'Blow to wallets'
"We find ourselves in a wartime situation, faced with the negative scenarios affecting our country," Mr Papandreou told the parliamentary group of his Socialist Party (Pasok).
He said that Greece had to avoid "a nightmare of bankruptcy" in which the state would not be able to pay salaries or pensions.
Mr Papandreou has used some dramatic phrases to describe Greece's fiscal problems over the past few months, but this was his most alarmist to date, the BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens says.
The prime minister was effectively telling Greeks to prepare themselves for another blow to their wallets, our correspondent adds. >>> | Tuesday, March 02, 2010
