EU Commission: Only hard choices left for Cyprus

The European Commission, the bloc's executive,warned Saturday that there are "only hard choices" left for Cyprus,insisting that a solution be found by the end of the weekend, dpa reported.It is essential that an agreement is reached by the Eurogroup onSunday evening in Brussels on a financial assistance programme forCyprus," Economy Commissioner Olli Rehn said, adding that it wouldthen need to be "swiftly implemented.""The events of recent days have led to a situation where there areno longer any optimal solutions available. Today, there are only hardchoices left," Rehn said, adding that EU support could "help tominimize the economic damage and protect the most vulnerable.""It is clear that the near future for Cyprus will be verydifficult," he said, pledging that the EU "help to rebuild theCypriot economy."