Updated

Greece and its international creditors are still weeks away from any possible agreement about the targets that Athens must meet to secure billions to rebuild its shattered economy.

The chairman of the 19 nations using the euro single currency, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, said Thursday "further work is needed in a number of areas before a staff-level agreement can be reached." He said technical-level talks must continue at a good pace so senior officials can return to Athens "and reach agreement in a few weeks."

In return for a bailout worth around 80 billion euros ($87 billion), Greece's left-led government has to meet a series of conditions, from reducing spending to enacting wide-ranging economic reforms.

Unions representing groups as disparate as farmers, police, fishermen and lawyers fiercely oppose the reforms.