Greece's new anti-austerity government has sacked the heads of its privatisation agency in what finance ministry officials call "a first step in the new privatisation policies" of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
The sale of parts of the electrical company DEI, the lease of parts of the harbours in Piraus and Thessaloniki, and the privatisations of the Greek railways and oil refineries have been put on ice since Tsipras' Syriza party won Sunday's elections.
His government then announced a radical overhaul of the country's austerity programs, vowing to cancel dozens of privatisation deals agreed to with creditors under the former conservative government.
The new administration said the sackings of the heads of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund will put an end to "close-out sale" privatisation policies, Greek media reported on Saturday.
From now on, privatisations will take place when they create new jobs and generate economic growth, the government said.
Privatisations of state companies are an important part of a reform program the previous government agreed to with its international creditors in return for a 240-billion-euro ($A350.03 billion) bailout.
Interest from investors for the state offerings, however, has been low, and the revenues from the sales have come in sharply below expectations.
In the meantime, Tsipras and his finance minister, Gianis Varoufakis, plan tours of their European partners to explain their proposed solutions to Greece's debt crisis.
Tsipras will travel on Wednesday to Paris to meet French President Francois Hollande, government officials said, a day after Varoufakis told Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the head of the eurozone finance ministers group, that Greece will not co-operate with its international creditors or comply with its austerity program.
Government sources in Athens said on Saturday that the new government is preparing its own cost-cutting and reform program that would satisfy all sides in the debate.
Varoufakis is starting his European road show on Sunday, also in Paris at the French finance ministry, before heading on Monday to London and Tuesday to Rome, his ministry said.
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