Merkel insists Greece must slash spending

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was adamant Friday in Vienna that Greece must fulfill its promises to slash government spending as a condition of its bailout by foreign creditors, reported dpa.

"We have encouraged Greece to carry out its obligations, the faster the better. The programme is in force," she told reporters after a meeting with Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann.

Faymann, a Social Democrat, has pressed for Athens to be allowed more time to repay its loans, whereas Merkel has taken a hard line.

But the German chancellor said Greece had the right not to be judged until an international team of auditors from the so-called troika - the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and European Commission - assess its fiscal improvements this month.

Her remarks closely matched her stance last month when Antonis Samaras, the Greek prime minister, met her in Berlin.

She has had a series of meetings with eurozone leaders over the past two weeks, including a flying visit Thursday to Madrid, aimed at resolving the debt crisis. An ECB bond-buying programme announced Thursday is now seen as key to ending the three years of turmoil.

The two chancellors were to meet later for dinner at one of Vienna's top hotels. Merkel and her husband Joachim Sauer were to finish the evening at the Vienna Opera watching Verdi's Don Carlos before flying home.