He will then travel to France on Saturday for talks with President Francois Hollande. 

 

Mrs Merkel and Mr Hollande met on Thursday to discuss Greece and urged Athens to stick with the tough reforms.

 

The reform targets are a condition of Greece continuing to receive bailout loans.

 

The "troika" of donor² bodies monitoring the bailout - the International Monetary³ Fund (IMF), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Commission - are due in Athens next month.

 

Greece's continued access to the bailout packages depends on a favourable⁴ report from the trio.

 

 

The country is currently trying to finalise a package of 11.5bn euros ($14.4bn; £9.1bn) of spending cuts over the next two years.

 

It is also being asked to put in place economic and structural⁵ reforms, including changes to the labour market and a renewed privatisation drive.

 

The measures are needed to qualify for the next 33.5bn-euro instalment of its second 130bn-euro bailout.

 

Greece needs the funds to make repayments⁶ on its debt burden. A default could result in the country leaving the euro.

 

In an interview published on Wednesday, Mr Samaras told Germany's biggest daily newspaper, Bild, that his country needed "a little breathing space" in order to kick-start growth and reduce its deficit⁷.

 

He is seeking an extension of up to two years for the painful steps, in order to provide Greece with the growth needed to improve its public finances.

 

Mrs Merkel has previously⁸ said that she and Mr Samaras will not make any decisions on the issue in their talks on Friday.

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