Greece urges EU to provide aid

BRUSSELS, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on Thursday urged European leaders to provide financial aid to his country at their summit next week.

President of European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso (R) and visiting Greek Prime  Minister George Papandreou attend a press conference after their meeting at the EU  headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 17, 2010. (Xinhua/Wu Wei)

"I think it's an opportunity to make a decision next week at the summit," he said.

He also said that Greece would rather not ask the International Monetary Fund for help.