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Athens needs fresh bailout funds as it is
quickly running out of cash, but wide differences over pension
and labor reforms have dogged negotiations between Greece's
leftist government and its creditors.
"From today's perspective I cannot say at all, because we do not
have any documents with final results available," Schelling told
reporters before a cabinet meeting when asked about prospects
for a deal when euro zone finance ministers meet on Monday.
"Participants in the Euro Working Group tell us the atmosphere
in talks is good, that there are some positions where Greece has
changed its position in favor of what we always discussed, but
on some subjects it (needs to move more). I assume intensive
negotiations will continue over the weekend."
The Euro Working Group prepares meetings of the Eurogroup club
of euro zone finance ministers.
Schelling, a conservative who like Germany has taken a hard line
on Greece, said the climate at talks had improved since Athens
changed its negotiating team.
"The (Greek) government staff in the Euro Working Group are
again those who were there at the very start. I think three
others were there in the meantime. The climate seems to have
improved," Schelling said.
"I don't see a breakthrough, but there seems to be movement."
He said the last Eurogroup meeting in Riga helped drive home the
message to Greece that time was running out to reach an accord.
"We expect an interim report at the level of the Eurogroup next
week and then further decisions will be made, but in any event
there seems to be movement."
(Reporting by Michael Shields and Angelika Gruber; Editing by
Dominic Evans and Susan Fenton)
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