ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told Reuters on Friday he is "certain" his government's request for a six-month loan extension would be accepted despite Berlin's objections and called for a "historic political decision" to seal a deal.
"Greece has done everything possible so that we can arrive at a mutually beneficial solution, based on the principle of double respect: respect both to the principle of EU rules and to the electoral result of member-states," Tsipras said in a written statement to Reuters.
"I feel certain that the Greek letter for a six-month extension of the loan agreement with the conditionalities that accompany it will be accepted. This is the moment for a historic political decision for the future of Europe."
Athens faces crunch talks in Brussels with euro zone finance ministers on Friday to secure funding and avoid bankruptcy after its bailout programme expires on Feb. 28. Germany, however, has rejected Greece's proposal as insufficient.