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 The meetings with officials from the European Commission, European
Central Bank and International Monetary Fund had been expected to
start on Friday but were delayed by organizational issues including
the location of talks and security.
The finance ministry official said talks were now expected to get
underway formally on Monday after the logistical issues were
resolved. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, denied
that the government was trying to keep the lenders' team away from
government departments.
"We don't have any problem with them visiting the General Accounting
Office," the official said.
Greeks have viewed inspections visits by the lenders in Athens as a
violation of the country's sovereignty and six-months of acrimonious
negotiations with EU partners took place in Brussels at the
government's request.
Asked if the government would now allow EU, IMF and ECB mission
chiefs to visit Athens for talks on a new loan, State Minister
Alekos Flabouraris said: "If the agreement says that they should
visit a ministry, we have to accept that."
The confusion around the expected start to the talks on Friday
underlined the challenges ahead if negotiations are to be wrapped up
in time for a bailout worth up to 86 billion euros to be approved in
parliament by Aug. 20, as Greece intends.
Already, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is struggling to contain a
rebellion in his leftwing Syriza party that made his government
dependent on votes from pro-European opposition parties to get the
tough bailout terms approved in parliament.
One of Tsipras' closest aides warned that the understanding with the
opposition parties could not last long and a "clear" solution was
needed, underlining widespread expectations that new elections may
come as soon as September or October.
"The country cannot go on with a minority government for long. We
need clear, strong solutions," State Minister Nikos Pappas told the
weekly Ependysi in an interview published on Saturday.
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Tsipras, who is by far the most popular politician in Greece
according to opinion polls, has said his priority is to secure the
bailout package before dealing with the political fallout from the
Syriza party rebellion.
According to a poll by Metron Analysis for Parapolitika newspaper on
Saturday, 61 percent of Greeks had a positive view of Tsipras
against 36 percent who disapproved. An overwhelming majority - 78
percent - still wanted Greece to stay in the euro zone against 19
percent in favor of going back to the drachma.
Tsipras insists there is no viable alternative to the bailout but
has been wary of striking out against his party opponents in a bid
to keep it together, at least while talks proceed.
Flabouraris called on Syriza rebels to drop their opposition.
"They are still my comrades and I urge them to get back to their
senses even at the last moment," he told Skai television. "They
should realize that the Left movement is now in power. It's not an
opposition party. Now we have to discuss the new landscape."
(Editing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
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