IMF won't be part of 1st tranche of planned Greek bailout - Schaeuble

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in a letter to the president of Germany's lower house of parliament that the International Monetary Fund would not be involved in the payment of a first tranche of a planned third Greek bailout. That tranche is due to be paid in mid-August, according to the letter, seen by Reuters, in which Schaeuble requested that the parliament agree to open talks on a third Greek bailout. The letter said the IMF would make its further involvement dependent on a successful conclusion of the first programme review in autumn 2015 and a confirmation of Greece's debt sustainability. But Peter Altmaier, chief of staff of Chancellor Angela Merkel, said on a German television talk show late on Thursday that IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde had "made very clear that the IMF will not withdraw" from bailing out Greece. Speaking on the show on ZDF, Altmaier said Berlin had "quite clearly said that the IMF must remain on board, that the IMF must be involved". Earlier on Thursday, Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who is also Dutch finance minister, told an emergency session of the Dutch parliament there was broad agreement that the IMF needed to be involved in future Greek bailouts. (Reporting by Andreas Rinke, writing by Michelle Martin; editing by Angus MacSwan and G Crosse)