Greece bailout talks not ended yet: troika official

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece said on Thursday it concluded talks with the IMF on a vital tranche of aid but inspectors said negotiations on the bailout were continuing and that there was no final conclusion with any party.

Inspectors from the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank -- known as the troika -- resumed their review of Greece's progress on a bailout deal last week, and an IMF official said the Fund's latest review of Greece's loan program will be completed within days.

The Finance Ministry issued a statement saying Minister Evangelos Venizelos had finalized bailout talks with the IMF and would resume talks with the European Commission on Friday.

"The talks are continuing," a troika official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Without the aid, Athens may run out of cash as early as next month, prompting a swift default that would drag the euro zone deeper into a debt crisis already shaking financial markets worldwide.

A senior official from the troika told Reuters on Wednesday that the Greek aid tranche was likely to be agreed but that Athens must first do more to convince its lenders it can implement reforms.

Earlier on Thursday, sources close to the troika told Reuters they expected the talks to continue until early next week.

(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Louise Ireland)