Papandreou to meet Sarkozy

Greece's Prime Minister George Papandreou will meet in Paris today with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the presidential palace said in a statement. International inspectors are in Athens deciding whether Greece should receive bailout funds of 8bn euros. President Sarkozy said that after his meeting with Papandreou on Friday afternoon he would unveil a Franco-German strategy, but did not give any details. Germany and France together represent about half of the 17-nation Eurozone''s economic output. "It is very important that the Franco-German axis can make its voice heard about the concrete application of the decisions taken at the end of July on a second rescue package for Greece," media reports quoted today Sarkozy as saying during a visit to Morocco. Euro zone leaders agreed on a second rescue package for debt-stricken Greece in late July but Athens has since fallen behind again on its deficit reduction targets, raising fears the deal could unravel and pushing Greece closer to default. The French President has called the ratification of plans to strengthen the euro zone''s bailout fund by Germany''s lower as "a key step for the stability of the 17-nation currency union", the statement said. Earlier in the day, Papandreou is scheduled to hold talks with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy in Warsaw before heading to Paris.