Greek PM to attend crisis talks in Cannes

ATHENS, Greece - Greece's prime minister faces a grilling from the leaders of Germany and France after fighting to win the backing of his cabinet to hold a referendum on a 130 billion euro ($179 billion) bailout package.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany summoned George Papandreou for crisis talks in Cannes on Wednesday night, before a G20 summit of major world economies. They will push for rapid implementation of measures to tackle the eurozone debt crisis, which Athens has thrown into doubt.

"This announcement took the whole of Europe by surprise," Sarkozy said on Tuesday on the steps of the Elysee Palace in Paris. "The plan ... is the only way to solve Greece's debt problem."