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Global shares edged off 16-month highs on Friday as an unexpected jump in U.S. jobless claims and persistent uncertainty over a solution to Greece's debt crisis tempered optimism over the global economic recovery.

European finance ministers discussed Greece's debt difficulties on Friday but said Athens was for now seeking to remove any obstacles to the rollout of emergency aid if needed, rather than requesting it officially.

The Australian dollar has opened relatively unchanged from yesterday following a mixed session offshore overnight.

Greece asked on Thursday for official talks with European authorities and the International Monetary Fund, a step toward Athens obtaining billions of euros in emergency loans.

There is no possibility that Greece will default on its debts and no reason to doubt Germany's commitment to an EU pledge to help Greece, the European Union's monetary chief said on Thursday.

The International Monetary Fund is ready to contribute financing for Greece through a multi-year stand-by loan arrangement and will hold talks on the matter in Brussels on April 12, IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said on Sunday.

Greece may use an EU/IMF safety net if needed, Prime Minister George Papandreou said in an interview with a Greek newspaper to be published on Sunday.

IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said on Saturday that public debt in the advanced economies is set to increase significantly and reversing the rise would be a tremendous challenge.

IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said on Saturday that public debt in the advanced economies is set to increase significantly and reversing the rise would be a tremendous challenge.

After months of delays, the International Monetary Fund has reached agreement on a second review of Iceland's IMF loan program and tentatively scheduled a meeting of its board for April 16 to consider the issue.

Greek banks, hit by a series of credit rating downgrades linked to the country's debt crisis, have asked the government for more financial support, Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said on Wednesday.

Markets pushed Greece's risk premium to a euro lifetime high on Tuesday amid growing doubts over the country's capacity to resolve its debt crisis and fresh skepticism about a European Union-International Monetary Fund aid mechanism.

Greece is not seeking to amend an EU-IMF safety net agreement, a top finance ministry official said, trying to calm markets that ditched Greek assets and the euro after a flurry of news suggesting Athens' debt crisis was worsening.

Greece will launch a multi-billion dollar bond in the United States this month, selling itself for the first time as an emerging market as demand for its debt dwindles in Europe, the Financial Times reported.

Greece's government, concerned that the IMF would impose tough conditions in exchange for aid, wants to amend a deal struck at an EU summit last month to bypass an IMF financial contribution, senior government sources in Athens told Market News International.

Ireland's extensive support for its banks has been vital to maintaining financial stability, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday, as ratings agencies praised decisions taken by the country's bad bank this week.

An international drive to impose new regulations in the wake of the financial crisis is fading and global cooperation is diminishing, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.

Debt-stricken Greece won little respite from crippling borrowing costs when it returned to capital markets on Monday for the first time since euro zone leaders agreed to give it a last-resort financial safety net.

Iceland's economics minister said on Sunday he was hopeful that a review by the International Monetary Fund could be completed within weeks, potentially releasing crucial aid for the crisis-hit nation.

Iceland's economics minister said on Sunday he was hopeful that a review by the International Monetary Fund could be completed within weeks, potentially releasing key aid for the crisis-hit nation.

Euro zone leaders won muted approval from financial markets on Friday for a band aid agreement to create a safety net for debt-ridden Greece, but a row over the IMF's role flared up just as it had seemed settled.

Euro zone leaders won muted approval from financial markets on Friday for their agreement to create a safety net for debt-ridden Greece, but a row over the IMF's role flared up just as it had seemed settled.

Stock index futures rose on Friday after euro zone leaders agreed to create a safety net to help debt-burdened Greece, while investors awaited data on consumer sentiment.

Euro zone leaders received a cautious stamp of approval from financial markets on Friday for their agreement to create a safety net with the International Monetary Fund to help debt-ridden Greece.

The financial aid mechanism for Greece agreed by euro zone leaders on Thursday is workable but unlikely ever to be activated, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said.

The financial aid mechanism for Greece agreed by euro zone leaders on Thursday is workable but unlikely ever to be activated, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said.

Euro zone leaders agreed on Thursday to create a joint financial safety net with the IMF to help debt-ridden Greece and to try to restore confidence in their common currency after weeks of wrangling.

Euro zone leaders agreed on a joint European-IMF financial safety net for debt-stricken Greece on Thursday after weeks of wrangling, hoping to restore confidence in their common currency.

The leaders of Germany and France clinched a deal on a joint European-IMF financial safety net for debt-stricken Greece at a EU summit on Thursday, in an effort to restore confidence in the euro.