Athens: Greece's left-wing government wants to get a full bailout deal with creditors this month, rejecting the idea of an extension in negotiations.
Nikos Fylis, a parliamentary spokesman for the ruling Syriza party, said Wednesday that a proposal by rescue lenders to prolong the talks and give Athens an interim loan is "off the table."
Greece faces a repayment to the European Central Bank worth more than 3 billion euros on August 20. It hopes to get the first 25 billion-euro installment from its bailout by then.
On Wednesday, the ministers of finance and economy, Euclid Tsakalotos and Giorgos Stathakis, held new meetings with bailout negotiators in Athens.
Across town, a Communist-back labor union held a peaceful protest against the government's new budget austerity measures.
