Greek debt deal not far: French finance minister

A deal on debt relief for Greece is "not far," France's new finance minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday ahead of crunch eurozone talks on the issue on Thursday.

"I am optimistic that we will have a good solution. We are not far from agreement," Le Maire said ahead of a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

The issue of debt relief for Greece has sharply divided its international creditors, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, for months in the latest round of talks. The impasse has held up a tranche of bailout cash which Greece needs to repay loans in July, and Athens says its fragile recovery has also been impaired.

The Europeans expect Greece's economy to grow strongly and its government to bring in large surpluses in revenue in the coming years, allowing it to pay down its debts.

But the IMF is less optimistic, arguing there must be further relief for Athens before it can label its debt sustainable and justify loaning Greece any more cash.