Greece voices optimism to unlock aid from lenders

The Greek government voiced optimism during the weekend as marathon talks continued with lenders on the conditions of a first debt deal to unlock vital further financial aid to the debt laden country.

Speaking to Greek media on Sunday, government spokesman Gavriil Sakellaridis appeared confident that an agreement was close, echoing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' earlier statements last week.

Athens are currently working on a deal with international lenders on its reform program, which should be reached by Sunday night so that the Euro Group could give green light for the release of international financing on Monday.

However, European officials appeared more skeptical about whether a deal was feasible in the coming hours, given the still diverging views between the two sides on key issues.

Should there be a failure to reach an "honest compromise" with creditors, the three-month Leftist government would most likely call a referendum, said the government spokesman. Endi