Germany Says Cypriot Government Must Tell People Why Bailout Right

The Cypriot government must now explain to its people why the bailout deal clinched in the early morning hours of Monday in Brussels is the right path for the country, a German government spokesman said.

"It's clear that the agreement we reached needs to be explained in Europe," Steffen Seibert, spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel told a news conference.

"We are doing our part in Germany. But also in Cyprus, the Cypriot government has a significant responsibility to explain to its people why this path is difficult but right."

(Reporting by Noah Barkin and Gareth Jones)