国际英语新闻：Greek premier to visit Berlin amid "war" for economic crisis

ATHENS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou received an invitation to visit Berlin on March 5 by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Greek government announced on Friday.

The announcement was made as the two sides try to reduce the tension fuelled by reports in German media on the Greek economic woes which were rejected as offensive by many Greek officials.

In the meantime head of Deutsche Bank Josef Ackermann visited Athens on Friday and held talks with Greek Prime Minister Papandreou, Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou and the president of Greece's National Bank Vasilis Rapanos.

Ackermann made no comments on media reports that he travelled to Athens to discuss the possibility of a loan to Greece reaching up to 15 billion euros (20.355 billion U.S. dollars).

"We categorically decline that there is such an issue," said the Greek government's spokesman Giorgos Petalotis who will visit Germany this weekend in one more effort to restore the good bilateral relations after the "war" on German media reports about Greece.

"We will not be drawn into an argument because of a provocative campaign by a single magazine," Papandreou stressed addressing the parliament earlier on Friday.

Commenting on the issue of Second World War reparations still owed to Greece by Germany which was raised by the Deputy Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos and other Greek politicians, Papandreou noted that for Greece the issue remains open, but it will be addressed at the right time.

German ambassador in Athens Wolfgang Schultheiss during a meeting with Speaker of Greece's Parliament Philippos Petsalnikos on Thursday expressed the German government's regrets that articles published in the German press have offended Greeks, stressing that "they should not be confused with the differing German public opinion on Greece."