European Union leaders hold talks on Wednesday to try to agree on a convincing, comprehensive plan for tackling the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis.

The Brussels meeting of EU leaders will be followed by a summit for the 17-nation single currency area, whose leaders have struggled to hammer out a plan.

Following are comments ahead of Wednesday's talks:

BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER YVES LETERME

It's an economic union in the making so it does not yet have the firepower it should have, but we're taking steps forward. Let's hope for tonight.

ON EUROPEAN FINANCIAL STABILITY FACILITY (EFSF) BAILOUT FUND:

Let's hope we succeed in giving (the EFSF) enough convincing firepower. It's one of the two to three most important points we still have to tackle.

I think that in effect we would need to be a whole bit above 1,000 billion euros.

GREEK PRIME MINISTER GEORGE PAPANDREOU

Our challenge today is not simply to save the euro. It is to safeguard the ideas we cherish so much in Europe: Peace and cooperation amongst our nations, social cohesion and solidarity without prejudice amongst our people.

From our side the Greek people are making a superhuman effort to put our house in order, to make our economy confident, viable, prosperous and create a better future for the Greek people, for our country.

Now is the time for the European leadership to collectively take decisions to end the uncertainty, end the crisis, turn the page and make sure we make a big step forward for the better future and prosperity and security of our peoples in Europe.

EUROGROUP PRESIDENT AND LUXEMBOURG'S PRIME MINISTER JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER ON ITALY:

Our Italian friends know well that we have to assume that we will be informed this evening that there will be significant, structural (budget) consolidation efforts from Italy. That is a must.

ON AGREEING DECISIONS:

I think that if we make our decisions in such a way that they work under pressure, then we will have made the right decisions.

(Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek, Robin Emmott, Daniel Flynn, John O'Donnell, Robert-Jan Bartunek)