Berlin--Germany said Wednesday that talks this week on a deal to help prevent Greece from defaulting on its debt would be conducted on the basis of a proposal put forward by creditors, not by Athens.
"I have the impression that the list (of reforms drawn up by Greece) will not be the ultimate solution to the problem," finance ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger told reporters.
He said that an offer to Athens drawn up by the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank would, "for us, be the relevant basis for talks".
Greece and its creditors are expected Wednesday to exchange their rival reform plans in a bid to reach a deal that would finally unlock 7.2 billion euros ($8.0 billion) in vitally needed bailout funds for Athens after a four-month stand-off.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will meet European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels to present what aides say is his government's 46-page proposal to overhaul the Greek economy and meet the demands of its bailout.
The EU, IMF and ECB are widely understood to have their own plan to lay on the table, one that includes measures the Greek government has repeatedly baulked at over the past four months of fraught negotiations.
Jaeger said Berlin had not yet read the Greek offer but that it had been "quite surprising" that Athens was now laying out a plan "after months in which we awaited detailed proposals".
He said that on the basis on press reports, the mooted reforms were "unlikely to fulfil the (creditors') requirements in their entirety".
AFP
