Merkel says Germany won't negotiate new deal with Greece before referendum

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that Germany would not negotiate on a new bailout agreement for Greece before its referendum which is planned for Sunday. "Before a referendum, as planned, is carried out, we won't negotiate on anything new at all," Merkel said. She added that this applied regardless of whether new offers were made on Tuesday, suggesting it was now too late to vet them. Merkel placed the blame on the Greek government for allowing its bailout programme to expire tonight. (Reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by Michelle Martin; Editing by Noah Barkin)