LONDON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel resisted a quick bailout of Greece at a summit on Thursday that failed to offer concrete proposals to help the country tackle its debt crisis, a British newspaper reported on Friday.
The Guardian quoted unidentified officials as saying that despite a show of Franco-German unity on the crisis and a European Union statement that the bloc was sending Greece a "clear message of solidarity", a specific rescue plan was stifled by Merkel. She said Athens must sort out its own problems.
"Germany is stepping totally on the brakes on financial assistance," the newspaper quoted a senior EU official as saying. "On legal grounds and on principle."
An unnamed top diplomat also quoted by the Guardian said of the German position: "They're not waving their chequebooks."
European leaders on Thursday sought to prop up Greece with words of support but offered no specific steps, sending Greek debt yields higher and the euro down against the dollar.
EU President Herman Van Rompuy and Merkel said it had not been possible to offer specifics on how Greece might be helped as it had not specifically asked for assistance from the EU. (Reporting by Matthew Jones; Editing by Jan Dahinten)