Greece has so far received 38 billion euros from the total 110 billion euro bailout agreed last May by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.
A group of EU, IMF and European Central Bank experts, known in Greece as the
'troika', are due in Athens on February 7 to look at the books and and see how required reforms are progressing before giving the green light to the next loan payment.
"The evaluation concerns the country's obligations for 2010... the most important of which have been complied with, there the next tranche is not in danger," Papaconstantinou said in an interview with the daily Ta Nea.
He added that the measures already taken to reduce the public deficit would be backed up by increased efforts against tax evasion.
He also promised to go after "offshore companies and foreign bank accounts, behind which hide the underground economy."
Greece's bailout spurred the creation of a trillion-dollar emergency rescue fund, the European Financial Stability Facility, which has since been tapped by Ireland.
The finance minister's comments came days after European Union officials acknowledged that the EU is working up plans for a revamped eurozone crisis fund that could help Greece wipe away part of its debt mountain, an albatross of some 300 billion euros.
Papaconstantinou confirmed that the idea of Greece buying back part of its debt through buying back bonds that have lost value on secondary markets was "on the table".




source: Agence France-Presse