'Europe needs Greece for its own security'

What’s at stake in Sunday's (5 July) referendum is no less than Greece's place in Europe and European security, a former Greek army chief has told EUobserver.

A No vote could sever Greece from its EU and Nato allies and create instability in the region, general Christos Manolas said in an interview.

Much of the debate has been about austerity, the irreversibility of the euro, or even the integrity of the European Union.

But the future of Greece is also a geostrategic issue,...