Lagarde, Merkel to meet in Washington on May 2 for talks on eurozone, Greece

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde is to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on May 2 in Washington for talks expected to focus on the broader economic situation in the eurozone in general and to touch on the Greek economy and on the prospects for a launch of talks on lightening Greece's debt burden.

The meeting between Lagarde and Merkel is to take place at the seat of the IMF in the context of a scheduled visit to Washington by Merkel.

Topics expected to top the agenda of talks are repeated warnings by the Fund of the risks posed by worryingly low inflation rates.

The outlook for the beginning of talks on Greek debt relief is also expected to be discussed after the European Commission confirmed Greek predictions of a primary surplus of 1.5 billion euros for 2013, a condition set by eurozone leaders the launch of such talks.