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Aiding Greece in solving its debt problems is important for the stability of the euro zone; however, the group has to be firm with its members to prevent the reoccurrence of similar problems in the future, French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde said.

On Friday, the debt-ridden nation yielded to fiscal market pressure and appealed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and its European partners for emergency loans.

When asked by Journal du Dimanche newspaper they would support Greece instead of expelling it from the bloc, Lagarde said, “It’s a cocktail of indulgence and great strictness. We want to stabilise. But that doesn’t prevent us from being firm, and we will need to watch the results very carefully”.

The French parliament will need to endorse the bailout plan, and the minister said she hoped that lawmakers would share the same belief that solidarity with an ailing partner doesn’t necessarily equate to being lax.

The bloc needs to be stricter in the future in controlling its less-disciplined members, she said.

“With its incorrect data and unsuitable economic policies, Greece hasn’t honoured its commitments. We will need stricter control mechanisms to make sure we don’t fall into a bottomless pit. All that will be the mission of the European Commission and the IMF”, said Lagarde.

To ensure that Greece pays back its help, the funds would be issued gradually depending on its needs, Lagarde added. “In the case of default on repayment, we will immediately put the foot on the brake”, she said.

The French head of the International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has hinted that his could quit his mandate if the right circumstances arose.

His revelation, made yesterday in an interview with French radio station RTL, has fuelled speculation that he hopes to run in the French presidential election in 2010.

Socialist Strauss-Kahn is currently mandated as the managing director of the IMF until October 2012 – but would have to stand down if he hoped to take on current president Nicolas Sarkozy at the polls.

A veteran of French politics, Strauss-Kahn spent time as the country’s economy minister and is a popular choice among French left-wing voters for the future presidency, with polls showing him as the leading figure to challenge the current president.

However he has lost out in the party primaries before and cutting short his IMF mandate could be a risky move for Strauss-Kahn as any bid for the presidency would need the full backing of socialist supporters as early as 2011.

Speaking yesterday Strauss-Kahn said: “”As it stands, I’ve always said, I am planning to see out my mandate.

”But if you ask me whether in certain circumstances I could reconsider this question, the answer is yes, I could reconsider this question.”

However, French economy minister Christine Lagarde has issued a gentle warning to the veteran that his age could count against him in future selection rounds saying in a radio interview: “He is a man of quality who has many options for his future and who has already had a great past. He was already in politics when I was a student.”