Euro zone to discuss return of experts to Greece to close bailout stage

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers will discuss on Monday if they can send a mission of experts back to Athens to prepare a review of Greek bailout reforms needed for new loan disbursements to the country, the chairman of the ministers said.

The last such mission broke down in acrimony in December over differences as to what still needed to be done and how to ensure Greece meets agreed fiscal targets in the years to come.

Talks on how to proceed have been dragging on since then and now appear set to continue during election campaigns in the Netherlands and France, which euro zone officials have said may make a deal more difficult.

Agreement with Greece on what reforms still need to be completed is made more difficult by differences between the lenders themselves -- euro zone governments and the International Monetary Fund.

"We've had intense talks with these institutions and Greek governments in order to clear the ground for the mission to return to Athens," Jeroen Dijsselbloem said.

"In the Eurogroup we will discuss whether we we've come to that point because that is my goal to get the mission back in Athens on the ground to talk about all the difficult stuff that’s still need to be sorted out," he told reporters.

(Reporting By Waverly Coleville and Jan Strupczewski)