IMF Chief: IMF to help Greece exit the economic crisis

The aim of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to assist Greece exit an acute debt crisis, said IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Monday during a meeting with Greek President Karolos Papoulias here.

Strauss-Kahn, is on a one-day visit to Athens for a series of talks with Greek officials on the progress of the ailing Greek economy.

IMF seeks to support Greeks find a way out of the crisis which threatened them with bankruptcy this spring, he said, adding that a main concern in efforts to put Greek economy back on the right track is not to add unbearable burdens to the most vulnerable members of society.

Strauss-Kahn’s visit to Athens coincides with deliberations on the terms of an extension of the repayment period of the EU-IMF financial aid for Athens to 2021 instead of 2016, as European partners and IMF are about to release the third tranche of aid to Greece later in December and January.