Greece eyes initial deal with lenders this week, final deal by end year- govt spox

ATHENS Greece and its official creditors can reach an initial agreement on reforms and fiscal targets to pass a key bailout review by the end of the week and a final deal to conclude it by the end of the year, the country’s government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Athens, however, cannot make further concessions on labour reforms which go beyond European norms, government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told reporters.

Tzanakopoulos also said the IMF must realise that Greece cannot accept austerity measures after 2018. Athens hopes for inclusion in the European Central Bank’s asset-purchasing programme (QE) in the first quarter of 2017, he said.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Lefteris Papadimas)