Greek PM still seeks consensus, EU/IMF inspectors back

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's prime minister called again for consensus at a meeting with the country's president on Wednesday, declining to comment on reports that his government is considering a referendum on more austerity measures.

Athens wants to secure continued funding under a 110 billion euro (95 billion pounds) bailout agreed a year ago while paymasters at the European Union press for wider political support before they agree on further loans to plug a funding gap next year.

"At this critical hour we need national consensus. I am open to all good ideas and realistic proposals," Prime Minister George Papandreou told reporters after meeting President Karolos Papoulias.

He said he was determined to keep Greece in the euro zone, where the financing crisis sparked by Greek admissions in 2009 that its debt was much bigger than previously acknowledged has spread to engulf Ireland and Portugal and threaten some of the bloc's bigger economies.

Papandreou, whose socialists have a comfortable lead in parliament but are sliding in opinion polls, called on the political opposition to agree on the basics to emerge from a severe debt crisis but failed to get them on board.

The conservative New Democracy party, which last year voted against the EU/IMF bailout deal, claims austerity is choking the economy and impeding it from growing out of the debt mess.

Greek newspapers reported on Wednesday the government was considering a referendum on the additional austerity package to tackle the debt crisis after the political opposition disagreed on the way forward.

Asked on the issue by reporters after his meeting with Papoulias, Papandreou did not give a straight answer.

"We are absolutely determined to remain participants in the hard core of the European Union," he said.

On Monday, the government unveiled a series of privatizations, part of a goal to raise 50 billion euros by 2015 to pay down its debt mountain, starting with divestments in Hellenic Postbank, OTE Telecom and the two biggest ports.

It said it was working with IMF/EU inspectors on finalizing extra fiscal measures worth 6.4 billion euros as part of a mid-term plan aimed at continued funding and meeting deficit reduction targets.

The troika team of inspectors resumed its meetings with ministers before it concludes a fourth review of Greece's economic adjustment program, which will determine whether Athens gets a fifth 12 billion euro tranche of bailout money.

(Editing by Ruth Pitchford)