Greece does not want money from EU partners

ATHENS: Greece is looking for ``political backing, not money,'' from its European partners, a finance ministry spokeswoman said on Sunday.

``All this talk (of a bailout) is just that, talk,'' Filio Lanara told The Associated Press, adding that Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou did not expect any concrete decision from Monday's Eurogroup or Tuesday's Ecofin meeting.

At those meetings, Greece will present the first results of its austerity measures imposed to help trim a budget deficit that reached 12.7 percent of economic output in 2009.

Papaconstantinou meets later Sunday with Angel Gurria, secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, in what Lanara says is a ``courtesy visit.''