Greek Minister's Pre-Summit Notes Revealed

Greece has failed to present concrete proposals on its debt crisis at a meeting of eurozone finance ministers, sources have said.

However, new Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos revealed more than he might have intended when photographers snapped his notes as he arrived in Brussels.

They included an apparent reminder to himself that there should be "no triumphalism".

Athens had been under pressure to show what French President Francois Hollande called "serious, credible" plans on how it can remain in the euro.

But Mr Tsakalotos has not presented fresh written proposals, sources told the AP news agency.

Despite this, Mr Tsakalotos told reporters there had been "progress" in meetings and added there was "political will to give Greece a new chance".

Greece is now expected to submit a request for medium-term assistance from the European Stability Mechanism rescue fund.

Eurozone finance ministers are set to hold a conference call on Wednesday to consider that request.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other eurozone heads of government are attending a summit on Tuesday night.

Mrs Merkel, arriving in Brussels for the talks, said there was still "no basis for negotiations".

Greece is perilously close to leaving the currency after some 61% of voters rejected a new bailout deal that demanded further austerity measures.

Mrs Merkel and Mr Hollande have said "the door is open" at today's crisis talks - but signalled there is no time for bluffing or protracted negotiations.

Fears are mounting that banks and cash machines in Greece could run dry if a deal cannot be hammered out in the next few days on its €240bn (£170bn) debt.

As the country enters uncharted territory - no state has ever left the currency - its government backtracked on promises that banks would reopen on Tuesday.

They will now stay shut until at least Thursday, with a €60 (£42) daily limit on ATM withdrawals, that has seen long queues at cash machines, kept in place.

There was some relief on Monday when the European Central Bank (ECB) said it would maintain the Emergency Liquidity Assistance (ELA) Greece needs to keep its banking system afloat.

But the ECB also said it was "adjusting" the conditions - which could make it tougher for some Greek banks to qualify for help.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who praised "brave" Greek voters' rejection of austerity, headed into the talks without his right-hand man, Yanis Varoufakis, who quit as finance minister on Monday.

His departure is said to be a concession to other European ministers apparently angered by his uncompromising stance.

A key stumbling block at the talks is likely to be any demands to write-off more debt and Sky's Economics Editor Ed Conway says there is "still a lot of distance between the two sides".

Despite celebrations on the streets after Sunday’s referendum, three-quarters of Greeks say they want to stay in the euro.

A so-called "Grexit" and a return to the drachma could be catastrophic for the country.

Greece’s economy has already shrunk 25% since 2008 and it has been suggested a euro exit could see a further 25% contraction. One in four people in the country is also unemployed and among under-25s the figure is nearly 52%.

Possible repercussions of a "Grexit" worry leaders well beyond Europe. Mr Tsipras spoke to Barack Obama on Tuesday, with the US President expressing hope for a successful outcome of the negotiations, Athens said.

Former prime minister Tony Blair told Sky News a Greek exit would be a "much bigger catastrophe than we think" and "we should do all we can to avoid it".