DHAKA: Greece’s leaders have received a guarded welcome to their reported proposals for a debt deal, ahead of crunch talks with EU creditors.

After a meeting in Rome with Greek PM Alexis Tsipras, Italian PM Matteo Renzi said his country would ‘give Greece a hand’ without always agreeing with it.

Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has reportedly suggested a new deal for exchanging debt with bailout creditors.

The radical left Greek government was elected on a pledge to end austerity.

The Syriza party, led by Tsipras, won last Sunday’s vote by promising to write off half the country’s massive debt, sparking alarm on the markets and among eurozone officials.

The Greek government also said it would refuse new loans from the EU and the IMF, prompting questions about how it would finance itself.

This week, however, Greek leaders on a tour of European capitals sought to allay some of the concerns.

BDST: 1148 HRS, FEB 04, 2015