BERLIN, July 18 (Reuters) - The general secretary of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats has urged lawmakers who voted against opening talks on a third financial rescue for Greece to reconsider.

German lawmakers on Friday gave Berlin approval to negotiate a third bailout for Greece by 439 votes to 119, with 40 abstentions. There was a sizeable rebellion among Merkel's conservatives, with nearly a fifth voting "no".

In an advance copy of an interview to be published in newspaper Tagessspiegel on Sunday, Peter Tauber said those members of parliament should think of some words of former Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, father of the West German federal republic, that no one could prevent him from becoming wiser.

The Bundestag will have to vote again on any agreement between Greece and its creditors for a third bailout.

Tauber said the suffering of the Greek people "doesn't leave any of us cold" but the examples of Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Ireland showed it was possible to successfully overcome the debt crisis.

"So, after successful negotiations with Greece, there can be reasons for a 'yes', even for those who have said 'no' up until now," Tauber said.

He said a Greek exit from the euro zone was off the cards at the moment, but warned: "Europe has not given Greece a blank cheque, there are very clear expectations and if Greece doesn't fulfil them, then we'll sit back down at the table very quickly." (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by David Holmes)