German Chancellor Angela Merkel is warning that “very intensive” work is needed for debt-ridden Greece to reach a deal with its international creditors. <br /><br /> Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has been meeting with Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of an EU summit in Latvia. <br /><br /> Athens is facing a potential default in two weeks’ time. <br /><br /> “France and Germany have offered to have discussions whenever there are questions, of whenever help is needed. But agreement must be found and there must be a lot of very, very intensive work on this,” said Merkel. <br /><br /> An official from Tsipras’ party has warned that Athens won’t be able to repay a loan to the International Monetary Fund, unless a deal can be struck with creditors to unblock bailout funds.<br /><br /> The talks in Riga have been described as “friendly and constructive.”
