Euclid Tsakalotos

Alexis Tsipras was informed on the background negotiations and the progress of the Brussels Group meeting by FinMin Yanis Varoufakis and the members of the Greek delegation.

By Paul Tugwell & Nikos Chrysoloras

Greece?s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is to hold a cabinet meeting Sunday as Greek officials and creditors in Brussels discuss overhauls the country proposes to secure more funds from the euro-area to stave off fiscal collapse.

Greek government officials quickly "revised" early statements - included in a midday briefing paper, no less - whereby Athens would not continue servicing its debt if lenders didn't free up loan tranches dating to 2014.

Alternate Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos on Friday made waves by saying that the Greek government was "always prepared for a rift."

Tsakalotos, who is the ministry's key official for international economic relations, made the comment during an interview on Star television channel, prompting a flurry of reactions and criticism on social media.

Greece's outspoken Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis is not planning to resign, two Greek government officials said on Friday, denying a report in Germany's Bild newspaper.

"None of this is true, it's far from reality," one of the officials told Reuters.

Conservative opposition leader Antonis Samaras has accused Greece's SYRIZA-led government of misleading the country's voters over the agreement signed at the February 20 Eurogroup meeting in Brussels.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met for five hours in Berlin amid fears that Athens may be running out of money. "We want Greece to be strong economically. We want Greece to grow. Above all, we want Greece to overcome its high unemployment," said Merkel at a press conference held mid-way through the talks prior to a working dinner.

The leaders of debt-wracked Greece and economic powerhouse Germany meet in Berlin March 24 after weeks of bad blood over Athens' debt woes, bitter wartime memories and an offensive hand gesture.
      

Since the conclusion of the multi-partite meeting on the Greek issue that took place on the sidelines of the EU summit last week, the Greek Government has been in a race against time to compile the detailed list of reforms for its International creditors.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras assured European Union creditors at late-night crisis talks in Brussels that his leftist-led coalition would present soon a full set of economic reforms in order to unlock cash to stave off bankruptcy.