Greeks will ‘do what they can’ to secure deal

The Greek government promised to do “whatever we can” to secure a deal with its international creditors next week, cheering investors as experts from both sides began technical talks yesterday to lay the ground for an accord.

Fears of financial chaos have seen savers taking their cash out of Greek banks — a movement banking sources said had been the reason for the European Central Bank offering more emergency funding for Greek banks on Thursday until after crunch talks among eurozone finance ministers on Monday.

Greek markets rose strongly after new prime minister Alexis Tsipras, elected on a promise to scrap a bailout deal he says has impoverished millions, agreed to have aides sit down with officials from the troika.

A spokesman for Tsipras, who had accepted the offer of the technical talks during his first encounter with fellow EU leaders at a Brussels summit on Thursday, said: “We will do whatever we can so that a deal is found on Monday.”

Tsipras wants a new financial package, freed of unpopular terminology and the most burdensome conditions. But Germany, backed solidly so far by the other 17 eurozone states, insists his government should extend the current terms for some months, giving it time to develop a new strategy.

Greek spokesman Gabriel Sakellaridis also said if Eurogroup ministers failed to get a deal in Brussels on Monday evening, that would not be catastrophic — a view not entirely shared in some other European capitals.

Weekend talks in Brussels seek to identify areas of the bailout programme that Tsipras can work with.