Greece 'will make it,' IMF's Strauss-Kahn says (by Greg Robb)

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund said Thursday that he believes Greece will survive the tough austerity measures put in place in return for a bailout from the European Union and the IMF. "I understand how painful it is for the Greek people but I think Greece will make it," Strauss-Kahn said at an opening press conference of the IMF and World Bank spring meeting. There is fresh speculation that Greece faces a debt restructuring because the burden is unsustainable. The Greek government "should not run out of steam" and continue to follow the program, Strauss Kahn said. One problem the country faces is that the richest citizens are not paying their taxes, he noted. Overall, a cloud of uncertainty is hanging over the global economy because growth is unbalanced between countries and even in some domestic economies, Strauss-Kahn said. "The recovery is getting stronger but everybody can understand it is not the recovery we want," he said.