ATHENS: International auditors are due back in Athens this week to assess Greece's progress in implementing reforms in exchange for loans, a Greek official said Tuesday, clearing up earlier confusion over their return.
"The auditors will meet with the finance minister on Wednesday afternoon," said a source at the office of Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras.
The meeting is expected to be closely watched for any hints of disagreements between the Greek government and the country's so-called troika of creditors -- the European Union, International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank.
On Saturday, the European Commission said the creditors would delay their next visit until January, "after the authorities have made further progress in implementation" of reforms.
Stournaras described this announcement as "unfortunate" during a meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Brussels late Monday.
He also insisted that officials would work with the troika mission chiefs to close as many pending issues as possible before the Christmas break.
An agreement with the troika is necessary to unblock a tranche of financial aid worth one-billion-euro ($1.4 billion) pending since June.
It is believed that the two sides will aim to at least reach agreement over the privatisation of troubled Greek defence contractor EAS.
Athens has been keen to wrap the talks before it assumes the rotating EU presidency in January.
The international creditors and Athens disagree on the level of a forecasted financing gap for 2014 and the measures that need to be taken to cover it.
The troika predicts the 2014 financing gap will exceed 1.5 billion euros, while the Greek government estimates the sum to be slightly more than 500 million euros.
Discussions are reportedly stumbling on the issue of a new property tax, debtor property auctions, layoffs in the state sector and the slow pace of privatisation.
Athens on Tuesday also raised 1.625 billion euros ($2.23 billion) in six-month treasury bills at a steady interest rate of 4.15 percent.
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