ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece aims to make a trial return to capital markets in the first half of 2017, which will pave the way for a full market return in 2018 when its programme ends, Deputy Prime Minister Yannis Dragasakis said on Saturday. Referring to a rift between Greece's official creditors, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, on the country's primary surplus targets after 2018, he said: "Greece has once again become a field where wider interests clash". The IMF has yet to decide whether it will stay and co-fund the Greek programme - a development which Germany wants to add credibility to the bailout, the country's third since 2010. But the fund says Greece cannot maintain a bailout target for a primary surplus of 3.5 percent of GDP beyond 2018 unless it adopts extra austerity measures, something which Greek officials have already rejected. "The only source of uncertainty are the questions that arise from the IMF stance and some countries' obsession with its participation in the programme," Dragasakis said.

Source: The Star December 03, 2016 11:49 UTC