Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou slammed comments by EU Commission official Servaas Deroose carried in Sunday's newspapers as "inaccurate".

Deroose had repeated a demand for a state asset sale worth 50 billion euros ($68 billion) by 2015, originally made Friday and sparking a strong backlash from the Greek government

"Sell beaches to develop tourism and the tourism housing market," Deroose, part of a joint mission with the IMF and the European Central Bank applying a tough recovery programme for Greece, told To Vima daily.

The Proto Thema daily quoted Deroose as saying that Greece could make five billion euros by selling off the former Athens airport, which lies on a lucrative expanse on the capital's southern coast. And he said another 35 billion euro could be raised from the sale of other state lands, regional airports and ports.

"Alleged comments by the representative of the European Union to Sunday papers are at least off the mark, and certainly inaccurate," Papaconstantinou said in a statement.

Auditors for the EU, the IMF and the ECB, which in May extended a 110-billion-euros ($149 billion) rescue package to Greece, said Friday that 50 billion euros' worth of state assets should be privatised by 2015.

The government initially appeared to take the demand in stride but in a dramatic turnaround some 10 hours later government spokesman George Petalotis said it amounted to interference in Greek internal affairs.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou's office later said he had personally complained to IMF director Dominique Strauss-Kahn and had also telephoned EU economic affairs commissioner Olli Rehn over the issue.

The EU, the IMF and the European Central Bank had said earlier Sunday they had the "deepest respect" for Greece's austerity efforts.

"Our collaboration in this effort has always been, and continues to be, based on mutual trust," the three organisations said in a statement.

"We recognize the difficult challenges facing the Greek economy and we have the deepest respect for the tremendous efforts being made by the Greek people."

"It is regrettable if a different impression was perceived at any time," the statement said.