ATHENS: Greece may need a further 10 billion euros in extra support from its euro zone partners but would not expect any loan to come with conditions attached, its finance minister told Proto Thema newspaper on Sunday.
Athens faces a funding gap of about 11 billion euros in 2014-15 after its current bailout programme ends in the first half of next year and its euro zone partners have pledged additional support until it can tap markets again.
"If Greece needs further support, it will be around 10 billion euros," Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras told the paper.
"We are not talking about a new bailout but an economic support package without new (austerity) terms Until 2016 the targets our obligation have been set and other measures or targets cannot be required."
Speculation that Athens may need a new bailout has heated up after recent comments by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaueble.
On Saturday, EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said he expected new support for Greece to amount to a little more than 10 billion euros, fuelling a debate that could hurt Chancellor Angela Merkel in next month's election.
Mired in its sixth straight year of recession, Greece has already been bailed out twice since 2010 with 240 billion euros of loans coordinated by the ECB, European Union and International Monetary Fund.
Stournaras said there was no discussion about a haircut of Greece's debt and that much would depend on whether the country achieves a primary budget surplus this year, excluding debt servicing costs.
"The decisions by the EU regarding the amount of the new funding, the extension of maturities of our debt and a reduction of the interest rate on loans will be based on 2013 (fiscal) results," he told the paper.
"At the end of 2013 it will be determined whether we finally have a primary surplus this year or will achieve it next year," he said.
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