Germany insists Greece honor its austerity commitments: gov't spokesperson

BERLIN, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Germany insists Greece complies with its austerity program to qualify for any further bailout funds, a German government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Some media reports said Athens would seek an extension to implement budget cuts worth 11.5 billion euros (14.2 billion U.S. dollars) when Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on August 24.

However, Merkel's spokesperson Steffen Seibert told a press conference that while Germany looks forward to talks with Greece, its position on Greek reforms remains unchanged.

"The chancellor will listen to what Mr Samaras has to say here about the situation in Greece and the implementation of the program," Seibert said.

"But for the entire German government, the agreed memorandum of understanding which states what the Greek obligations are remains the basis of all aid decisions," he added.

The spokesperson stated that any action toward Greece would be based on a planned report by the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank expected in mid-September.

After Germany, Samaras will travel to Paris to hold talks with French President Francois Hollande on August 25.