BRUSSELS—Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on Thursday requested that European Union leaders at their summit next week agree to a package of standby loans to restore confidence in the country's debt. He also confirmed that Greece is keeping its aid options open, but would prefer help from the European Union to a bailout by the International Monetary Fund. The prime minister has spoken with the IMF and said that the tough fiscal austerity measures Greece has put in place already conform with IMF requirements. "They would ask nothing more," he said. "We have the worst of the IMF" without the benefits of an IMF loan, he said. Mr. Papandreou said he hopes for backing from EU leaders on a standby package at their meeting next week, but he didn't specify the size of the package. This would provide Greece with breathing space to carry out its reforms, he added. "When you have that instrument in place that would be enough to tell the market 'hands off, no speculation,'" he told journalists after speaking in the European Parliament.[Read more...]