Euclid Tsakalotos

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is due to hold talks on Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of a European Union leaders? meeting in Riga in the hope that his counterparts will provide the political spur needed to help conclude negotiations between Greece and its lenders successfully.

SYRIZA's political secretariat is due to meet on Wednesday at lunchtime as the deliberations within the leftist party gather pace ahead of a possible deal with lenders, which some MPs and members have indicated they may reject.

Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said on Monday in an interview with “Sto Eniko” on private STAR TV that the Greek government received a mandate to negotiate with its international creditors from the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund. He said that the government did not want a rupture with these institutions.

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said Monday that he expects an agreement with bailout creditors within the next week, which would save the cash-strapped country from fast-approaching bankruptcy.

"I think we are very close," Varoufakis said. "Let's say (it's a matter) of about a week."

The European Commission document by EC President Jean-Claude Juncker outlining a compromise for Greece is seen as a positive sign for the Greek Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) government as it comes at the eleventh hour just as the country’s funds are running so low that it is dubious that it

People close to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras remain confident that the vast majority of SYRIZA MPs will back any deal with lenders despite the objections that have been raised over the past few days regarding the content of negotiations.

By Nikos Konstandaras

The Greek Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) government wants a speedy agreement with its international creditors from the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund even if it is somewhat unbalanced as long as there are elements of “mutual benefit”. All that SYRIZA seeks is a little give-and-take from Greece’s creditors so that the economy can stabilize.

Greek PM Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday more-or-less underlined that his radical leftist government has done more than its fair share of compromising and that it’s now European partners-cum-creditors’ turn to ease up on demands.

By Lefteris Papadimas & George Georgiopoulos

Greece emptied an emergency IMF holding account to repay 750 million euros ($839 million) due to the international lender, a Greek central bank official said, avoiding default but underscoring the dire state of the country's finances.