Germany will not accept a Greek request for a six-month extension to its bailout because Athens is effectively seeking a bridging loan without respecting its reform commitments, a German Finance Ministry spokesman told dpa on Thursday. "The letter from Athens is not a substantial proposal for a solution," Martin Jaeger told dpa, since it "does not correspond" to criteria agreed by eurozone finance ministers earlier this week. Earlier Thursday, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis wrote to Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem to formally request a six-month extension to the agreement governing its bailout. It is unclear, however, to what extent Athens is prepared to stick to the associated austerity measures imposed by its international creditors. Time is ticking, with the European share of Greece's rescue package due to expire at the end of the month.
