Greece to market bonds to overseas Greeks

Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou, pictured in Brussels in November, says his country will issue a diaspora bond aimed at Greek investors all over the world "within the next few months"

AFP - Greece will issue a diaspora bond aimed at Greek investors all over the world "within the next few months" in an effort to return to bond markets in 2011, said Greek finance minister George Papaconstantinou in an interview on Sunday.

"We will mainly address Greeks in Europe, the US, Australia, etc., while the interest will be lower than current market rates," Papaconstantinou told the Sunday edition of Eleftherotypia newspaper.

According to the Kathimerini daily, the Greek government seeks to issue a diaspora bond "of between three and 10 years".

Greece on Tuesday raised 650 million euros ($866 million) in a sale of three-month treasury bills at a stable yield of 4.1 percent despite a recent downgrade in its credit rating to junk status by the Fitch ratings agency.

Greece last year secured a three-year, 110-billion-euro ($149 billion) loan from the EU and the International Monetary Fund, most of it from the EU.

It is currently in talks with Brussels to extend repayment on this loan, though it has repeatedly denied any restructuring of its other debts.

"Sincerely, Greece can and will avoid it," Papaconstantinou told Eleftherotypia, referring to restructuring Greece's debt.