Awwal 15, 1432 / April 19, 2011, SPA -- Finland's likely next prime minister ruled out proposing major changes to a bailout package for Portugal, seeking to soothe concerns that the Nordic country's new government could block EU plans and upset markets, Reuters reported. But Jyrki Katainen, leader of the National Coalition party that won Sunday's election, also acknowledged that talks to form a new government would take a long time because his party disagrees with anti-euro True Finns party over the bailout plan. Finland's parliament, unlike others in the euro zone, has the right to vote on the European Union's requests for funds. Strong gains by the True Finns party, which came third in Sunday's vote and may join the next government coalition, have raised concerns it could delay shoring up Portugal. "Finland must for its own good to create a smart and responsible government programme, which maximises our influence in all international forums. I'm convinced we can find such policy," Jyrki Katainen told reporters on Tuesday. He said all parties in the next government must back a government programme and added that there was little chance that a meeting of European finance ministers would accommodate major changes to the bailout that the True Finns have called for. Asked what changes Finland might propose at the Ecofin meeting in mid-May, Katainen told reporters: "We'll see what is possible, but anyway, the changes would not be very big." Katainen has said the new government would most likely be based on a coalition including the National Coalition, the True Finns and the Social Democrats. The Social Democrats, the main opposition party, said on Tuesday it wanted private investors to shoulder more liability in the EU's bailout plans, despite broadly supporting them. -- SPA
