No final Greece deal expected at talks: EU

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is due to take part in talks in Brussels, where he will be presented with a new plan to solve Greece's debt crisis.

A Greek flag as pedestrians walk at the main Athens' Syntagma square

(AAP) Source: AP

Talks between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker are not expected to produce a final deal on Greece's bailout, Juncker's spokesman says.

"We do not expect any final outcome tonight, this is a first discussion not a concluding one," spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a news briefing, saying the meeting later on Wednesday was a "personal invitation".

"This is the moment for the negotiations to concentrate on the essential. The essential is the remaining few issues where there are still differences."

He declined to confirm that Eurogroup chief and Dutch foreign minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem would attend too, amid reports that Tsipras did not want the hardliner at the talks.

Juncker said earlier that his meeting with Tsipras still had some hurdles to overcome.

"I still have some problems to sort out in connection with what we call the Greek case, which will require me to hold various meetings today, including one with the Greek prime minister," Juncker said.

Greece and its creditors - the EU, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank - are expected on Wednesday to exchange their rival reform plans in a bid to reach a deal that would finally unlock 7.2 billion euros ($A10.29 billion) in vitally needed bailout funds for Athens after a four-month standoff.

Greece must repay a total of about 1.6 billion euros to the IMF this month, with the first instalment of just over 300 million euros due on Friday.


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Source: AAP



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