Greece's prime minister has insisted ahead of a visit to Germany that Athens does not want more money from creditors, but indicated it would like more time to enact reforms and spending cuts.
Antonis Samaras pledged before coming to power to seek a two-year extension to the deadline for implementing unpopular cuts demanded in exchange for international aid.
But creditors such as Germany are reluctant to grant significant concessions.
Mr Samaras will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday. He was quoted as telling the Bild daily: "We are not asking for extra money."
He added: "All we want is a little 'air to breathe' to get the economy going and increase state income." Mr Samaras said that "more time does not automatically mean more money".
The Greek leader vehemently rejected the suggestion that it might be better for his country to leave the 17-nation euro and bring back its former currency, the drachma. That, he told the Bild, would result in "a catastrophe for Greece" and economic collapse.
Mr Samaras pledged before coming to power to seek a two-year extension to the deadline for implementing unpopular cuts demanded in exchange for two massive international aid packages worth 240 billion euro (£189 billion) that are keeping Greece afloat.
But delays in implementing reforms and austerity measures have fuelled impatience in Germany - the largest single contributor to the bailouts - and other eurozone countries.
Luxembourg's prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who chairs the eurozone finance ministers' meetings, is due to arrive in Athens. Later, Mr Samaras will head to Berlin and Paris on Friday and Saturday for talks with German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Francois Hollande.
Those meetings come ahead of an assessment of Greece's efforts by inspectors from the so-called troika of the International Monetary Fund, European Union and European Central Bank. Greece's debt stands at more than 300 billion euro (£236 billion), and its economy is struggling through a fifth year of recession with unemployment above 23%.
The Press Association, photo by PSD