Greece, troika meet to wrap up talks - source

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ATHENS | Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:55am EDT

ATHENS Oct 10 (Reuters) - EU, IMF and ECB mission chiefs meet Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Monday morning with the intention of concluding talks on a key aid tranche, a source close to the negotiations said.

"We are working on the assumption that meetings will wrap up today," the source close to the talks told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The mission chiefs will then likely issue a joint statement on Monday or Tuesday, to conclude their visit.

Once this is done, inspectors will prepare reports for euro zone finance ministers and the IMF's board, who will decide on the aid tranche.

Athens could run out of cash as soon as mid-November without the new 8 billion euro aid installment, increasing the risk of a default that would drag the euro zone deeper into a debt crisis already shaking financial markets worldwide.

Senior officials from the so-called troika of EU, IMF and ECB inspectors said last week they expected to conclude their review soon but first wanted to receive more details on the implementation and impact of plans to slash the public sector workforce and increase taxes to plug a bigger-than-targeted fiscal gap.

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American Eagle, pilots union talks hit impasse: report

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n">(Reuters) - American Eagle and its pilots union have hit an impasse in efforts to agree on a new contract before Eagle is spun off from AMR Corp (AMR.N), also the parent of American Airlines, Bloomberg reported on Sunday.

Last month, the union proposed contract and other changes that would cut Eagle's costs if it is spun off and allow the unit to retain more regional flying for American.

The talks stalled during negotiations on a counter-proposal submitted by Eagle, the report said.

Union leaders "concluded after much deliberation that the company's last counter-proposal was unworkable, specifically with reference to the flexibility management was seeking" in future amendments to terms for Eagle flying, Bloomberg reported, citing a message from the union to its members yesterday.

"At this point, there are no further conversations scheduled between ALPA and management."

A spokesman for American Eagle was not available for comment.

(Reporting by Nadia Damouni in New York; Editing by Anshuman Daga)

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UPDATE 1-Slovaks in last-ditch talks on euro fund

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* Coalition party SaS wants tighter EFSF mandate, ESM opt-out

* Leaders to hold last-ditch meeting on Monday

* Parliament vote due on Oct. 11, fate of government at stake

By Martin Santa and Michael Winfrey

BRATISLAVA, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Slovakian coalition leaders meet on Monday in a last-ditch bid to reach agreement on widening the mandate of the euro zone's bailout fund, under increasing pressure from turmoil in euro zone banks and a shift in public opinion at home.

Only Slovakia and Malta have yet to approve extra powers for the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) in its fight against the sovereign debt crisis.

The small liberal Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party argues that, as the zone's second poorest member, Slovakia should not have to bail out other euro zone countries, but it says it is still open to talks.

The coalition parties called a meeting for 4 p.m. (1400 GMT) ahead of a vote on the EFSF in parliament on Tuesday, a spokesman for the SaS said. The party has so far said it will vote against the EFSF expansion.

As Slovakia drags its heels, the crisis has picked up speed. Franco-Belgian bank Dexia agreed early on Monday to the nationalisation of its Belgian division and secured state guarantees, and the Greek central bank effectively nationalised a small bank on Monday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said after talks late on Sunday that they would unveil new measures in the coming weeks to solve the debt crisis, but gave no details.

An opinion poll by the Polis agency showed on Monday that Slovaks had begun to lean towards approving an expansion of the facility, which may put added pressure on SaS to give in.

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