1st LD Writethru: U.S. dollar falls against euro despite Greece tensions

The U.S. dollar declined against most major currencies on Monday, including the euro, despite rising tensions surrounding Greek debt negotiations.

The new Greek government would stick to its anti-austerity agenda, said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Sunday in a closely- watched policy statement addressed to parliament, ruling out an extension of the current bailout program which expires on Feb. 28.

Athens would instead seek a bridge agreement with international lenders until a new comprehensive deal will be signed after a renegotiation of the country's debt load, Tsipras added.

Greece will present a comprehensive proposal at an emergency meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Brussels on Wednesday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is visiting U.S. to secure a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict, said Monday that Berlin wanted Greece to stay in the eurozone, but the agreement should be based on existing bailout commitments.

In late New York trading, the euro gained to 1.1336 dollars from 1.1318 dollars of the previous session, and the British pound decreased to 1.5230 dollars from 1.5232 dollars. The Australian dollar went up to 0.7814 dollars from 0.7792 dollars.

The dollar bought 118.41 Japanese yen, lower than 119.14 yen of the previous session. The dollar moved down to 0.9211 Swiss francs from 0.9269 Swiss francs, and it moved up to 1.2452 Canadian dollars from 1.2530 Canadian dollars. Endite