German conservative euro-MP breaks ranks over IMF role in Greek bailout

IMF participation is no longer crucial for Greece's bailout program, a German euro-lawmaker close to Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday, breaking ranks with Berlin's official line that the program would end if the Fund pulled out.

The International Monetary Fund has yet to decide if it will fund the bailout, Greece's third, and says Athens can only hit mandated fiscal targets if it is granted significant debt relief.

The German government - gearing up for what are forecast to be close-run national elections in September - opposes debt relief, and also says the current program could only continue if the Fund joined in.

But Manfred Weber, who leads the conservative bloc in the European Parliament, said that the IMF's role was no longer crucial.

"If the IMF insists on a debt cut, then one should let it go," he told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. ...