Papandreou to meet head of the main opposition party

Greece's president is to convene a meeting between the country's embattled prime minister and the head of the main opposition party in an attempt to broker power sharing talks and find a way out of a severe political crisis, as pressure mounts to ensure the country avoids bankruptcy.

The president's office said the meeting would be held at 8:30 p.m. (1830GMT) Sunday with the premier, George Papandreou, and opposition head Antonis Samaras.

Papandreou survived a confidence vote in his government Saturday, and has said he will step aside if agreement can be reached on the formation of an interim government that will secure a new European debt deal for Greece.

Samaras has set Papandreou's resignation as a condition for participating in any talks.