Greek PM's initiatives to unblock liquidity

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has begun a series of contacts with European leaders and officials aimed at breaking down the wall of distrust against Greece, evident by the European Central Bank's (ECB) refusal to include Greece in its  funding scheme. Ahead of danger of Greek economic suffocation in March, Tsipras is working towards convincing EU partners that the government is working towards reform in order to ensure a positive outcome at Monday's Eurogroup meeting.

Tsipras has scheduled telephone contact with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, French President Francois Hollande, Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann and possibly other leaders on Friday in the hope that they would support Greece. Other contacts include European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker and other officials in Brussels. Also on Friday, he has a 9.30 a.m. meeting with Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras, who will brief him regarding the ECB Governing Council that met on Thursday that resulted in ECB Chief Mario Draghi declining to lift T-bill bonds limits for Greece.

On Wednesday, following the Eurogroup meeting, Tsipras will meet with European Parliament President Martin Schulz and Juncker, either in Brussels or Strasbourg. Tsipras will address the OECD General Assembly and will meet with OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria in Paris.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis will present the government's first policies at Monday's meeting and may send a letter ahead of this meeting outlining reforms that Greece is proceeding with.