Greek government resumes talks with international creditors

Greece's new coalition government was to resume talks Friday with its international creditors, who were due in Athens to assess ongoing efforts by the country to reduce its massive public debt, according to dpa. Envoys from the European Union, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank were expected to arrive in the Greek capital just as the government was scheduled to submit its draft 2012 budget in parliament. Greece's creditors have demanded broad political support for the debt deal, which envisages tough austerity measures, before they approve further loans under a 110-billion-euro (148.5-billion-dollar) bailout programme. Without the next tranche of 8 billion euros in emergency funding, Athens would default by mid-December, experts say.