French, Greek, German leaders discuss Greek crisis

ATHENS, Greece — Greece says the leaders of Greece, France and Germany have stressed during an emergency teleconference that the debt-ridden country is an "integral" part of the eurozone, and that additional austerity measures Athens announced recently will ensure the country achieves its fiscal targets.

Fears that Greece was heading rapidly towards a chaotic default — and the idea that it should potentially leave the euro and return to its own currency — have roiled markets for days, both across the 17-nation eurozone and globally.

Leaders have been seeking to calm the markets and contain the crisis. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy discussed the issue Wednesday night.