The leaders of France and Germany have called a new Greek rescue package to be worked out as quickly as possible, but gave no details on how voluntary private involvement would work.
'We need a solution as soon as possible so that we have clarity,' German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after talks in Berlin.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed, saying: 'France and Germany want this new programme to be worked out as quickly as possible. There is no time to lose.'
Both said that private investors should be involved in the new package on a voluntary basis, but any such measure would have to be worked out with the European Central Bank.
Merkel heads a group of top euro zone economies that have been pressing for private investors to contribute up to a third of the second rescue package by accepting later repayment on their Greek bonds.
But Sarkozy backs the ECB and the European Commission, which want the private sector to contribute on a 'voluntary' basis. There are fears about any action that ratings agencies might deem a default, which could cause chaos throughout the euro zone.
Both leaders steered clear today of saying which way the final agreement would go. 'There will be meetings all next week. The sooner the technical details are worked out the better,' Sarkozy said.
Both leaders also called for a full report on Greece's finances by the 'troika' of Greece's international creditors - the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the ECB - to be presented as soon as possible.
New Greek finance minister promises 'real war'
Greece's new finance minister said today he had accepted the job in order to 'carry out a real war' and called for a broad mobilisation to face the country's daunting debt crisis.
'I am here by patriotic duty to carry out a real war,' said Evangelos Venizelos, a former defence minister, as he took over from his predecessor.
Prime Minister George Papandreou is struggling to gather support, even from within his own ruling party, for a second round of austerity measures despite huge pressures from the EU and IMF.
Venizelos said he would continue backing the measures which are set to go before parliament by the end of the month, but wanted to do so 'creatively'.
He added that the door for dialogue was open with the thousands of protestors assembled for weeks in front of parliament in Athens. Venizelos succeeds George Papaconstantinou as finance minister.
