Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has warned against causing further alarm in the international capital markets by raising "false expectations" of a eurozone bail-out package for the debt-strapped Greek government.

In a Sunday morning interview on German radio that appears to put her at odds with José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, she insisted that no money has been asked for by Greece, and no decision had been taken.

She said the subject was not even on the agenda for the summit of European Union leaders that opens in Brussels on Thursday.