(ANSA) - TRIESTE - Euro zone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund will seek a deal on Monday on Greek debt relief. Without the deal, no new loans can be disbursed to Athens and without them Greece could not return to market financing next year and will likely default. Greece has done what it could to secure a deal. It has agreed, albeit after months of negotiations, with the euro zone lenders and the IMF on pensions and tax reforms.

The IMF believes that debt relief, or at least a clear promise of it now, is needed to restore investor confidence in Greece, especially if the country, which has public debt of 197 percent of GDP, is to return to market financing next year.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his new administration will push for an international debt relief deal for austerity-weary Greece. He spoke Monday with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and stressed "his determination to find an accord soon to lighten the burden of Greek debt over the long term". According to Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, "we will work constructively on a solution". German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel stated that "debt relief has always been promised, if the reforms were made. Now we have to keep this promise". (ANSA).