Greece's government asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) permission Thursday to bundle four debt repayments due in June at the end of the month, a Greek government source told AFP.

"We used an option that IMF rules offer us, and which give us additional time for negotiating" an agreement with creditors to free up badly needed bailout funds, the Greek government source said a day before the first payment of 300 million euros ($338 million) is due.