Greek citizens support "honest compromise" on debt

The overwhelming majority of Greek citizens are in favor of an "honest compromise" with international creditors ahead of the critical Eurogroup meeting which convened on Monday in Brussels, a survey found.

In the survey published in the Efimerida ton Syntakton (Reporters' Daily) newspaper by polling company Marc, almost seven out of 10 respondents said Greek citizens wanted a mutually accepted solution for the Greek debt crisis.

However, 27.4 percent respondents opted for a rift in the event lenders push Greece too hard, even if that means bankruptcy and an exit from the euro zone.

About 50.4 percent of Greeks believed that the possibility of a default in the near future was real, while 45 percent saw no such danger.

Greek government officials also voiced optimism for the final outcome.

"The discussion at Eurogroup will move one step further in the right direction to conclude the review process of the government's proposals by the end of April, even if an agreement is not reached today," Greek economy minister George Stathakis said on Monday in Greece when asked by local media about his expectations for the meeting.

Euro zone finance ministers were due to examine the set of initial proposed reforms put forward by the Greek government under the February 20 bridge agreement.

In contrast to Athens' confidence, European partners have implied that the list sent by Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis on Friday was most likely inadequate and more efforts should be made to proceed with February's arrangement.

Under the deal, the country's four-year bailout was extended to June to allow time for the two sides to discuss a final deal on the Greek debt crisis following the change of government in January's national polls.

Greece needs a positive assessment of its updated fiscal consolidation and reform drive to ensure further aid by creditors in April under the best case scenario.

Meanwhile, with the country still shut out of international financing markets and international loans "frozen until further notice", the new Radical Left administration has been under mounting pressure what with facing the specter of running out of cash by April, analysts said.

The concern was reflected in the decline of the general price index on the Athens Stock Exchange on Monday, which was down.

Varoufakis said in interviews in advance of the Eurogroup meeting that in the event the government doesn't reach an agreement on the way forward with lenders, a referendum on its economic agenda or general polls could be conducted.

Shortly before the talks started, Greek Deputy Prime Minister Yannis Dragassakis dismissed media reports that he would be replacing Varoufakis and be in charge of consultations with lenders from now on. Endit