European Central Bank

By Arne Delfs

Germany expects talks with Greece to drag on until after the current round of bailout funding runs out at the end of the month and is prepared to play a waiting game until April or May, when the country approaches a cash crunch, a person familiar with the matter said.

The European Central Bank is considering the possibility of leaving the Troika of Greece's international creditors, according to an article published by Handelsblatt on Tuesday.

The debate on a possible withdrawal reflects concerns within the ECB that its large-scale bond-buying plan, announced in January, could lead to conflicts of interest, says the German business daily.

By Ingrid Melander & Yann Le Guernigou

France's finance minister warned Athens against any attempt to play Paris off against Berlin over Greece's debt crisis, saying a Franco-German agreement was key to striking a deal that would help Greeks and ensure they met their commitments.

By Yiannis Papadoyiannis

The European Central Bank remains opposed to an increase in the exposure of domestic lenders to treasury bills, while its verdict tomorrow on the possible extension of the emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) mechanism for Greek banks is eagerly anticipated.

The European Union could help Greece crack down on tax evaders by freezing the assets of rich Greek tax dodgers living in the 28-member bloc, Germany's economy minister told Bild daily on Tuesday.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker mulls suspending the mission of the so-called "Troika" of international lenders in Greece, media reports suggest.

The new Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis announced on Friday that his government was not willing to continue negotiations with the troika of international creditors.

Varoufakis made this statement during a news conference following a meeting with the President of the Eurogroup Jeroen Dijsselbloem in Athens, daily Kathimerini reports.

The results of the parliamentary elections in Greece on Jan. 25 were not a surprise. As predicted, an umbrella coalition of the far-left, the Syriza Party, came at the top with 36 percent of the vote, obtaining 149 seats in parliament, two short of an overall majority. The outgoing Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' New Democracy Party won 76 seats with 27 percent of the votes.

Low-rated eurozone bond yields edged higher on Tuesday as investors waited anxiously to see whether Greece's new anti-bailout government would clash with their European Union partners.

The International Monetary Fund has said it is ready to extend its financial support for Greece.

"We stand ready to continue supporting Greece, and look forward to discussions with the new government," IMF chief Christine Lagarde said in a statement on Monday, according to The Financial Times.