Greek PM seeks consensus, faces anti-austerity rally

ATHENS (Reuters) - The Greek government sought consensus on Wednesday for tough measures to exit the debt crisis as Greece's EU commissioner warned that its euro membership was at risk if it failed to agree to sacrifices.

While paymasters at the EU pressed for more reforms and wider political support before they agree on further loans to plug a funding gap next year, about 15,000 angry Greeks gathered in central Athens to protest against cutbacks.

In the first major non-political rally since the debt crisis hit, they waved banners reading "Out with the IMF junta.

Athens wants to secure continued funding under a 110 billion euro (95 billion pounds) bailout agreed a year ago as it struggles with a deep recession.

On Monday, it announced a series of privatisations and promised new austerity measures to meet EU/IMF conditions for the release of a 12 billion euro loan tranche in June, vital to keep Greece from defaulting.

But the European Union is also demanding cross-party backing for the measures -- and on Thursday the leader of the conservative opposition, Antonis Samaras, rejected them.

EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki said Greece's biggest postwar achievement, joining the euro, was at risk.

"I am forced to speak openly," Damanaki was quoted as saying in a statement by the semi-official Athens News Agency. "Either we agree with our lenders to a programme of tough sacrifices ... or we return to the drachma."

Spain's Economy Minister Elena Salgado said she could not imagine such a scenario.

"Not only there is no planning in that direction, but it's not even in our imagination," she said.

Prime Minister George Papandreou told Greece's president, Karolos Papoulias, that he was open to alternative ways to exit the debt crisis.

"At this critical hour we need national consensus. I am open to all good ideas and realistic proposals," he told reporters after their talks.

He said he was determined to keep Greece in the euro zone. The crisis, sparked by Greece's admissions in 2009 that its deficit was much bigger than previously thought, has spread to engulf Ireland and Portugal and may yet go further.

The government denied Greek newspaper reports that it was considering a referendum on the new measures after failing to get opposition agreement. The socialists have a comfortable majority in parliament but are sliding in opinion polls.

"There is no specific thought or any specific planning for a referendum," government spokesman George Petalotis told reporters.

The government said it was working with IMF/EU inspectors on extra fiscal measures worth 6.4 billion euros.

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

One obstacle to the fifth disbursement is the IMF's refusal to release its share of the money next month unless the euro zone commits to new aid for Athens to fill a 27 billion euro funding gap next year, Greek and EU officials have said.

But the EU partners have made clear that no new aid on top of the 110 billion euros bailout Greece secured last year can flow until Athens delivers on new austerity and privatisation pledges and shows it has broad support for them.

(Additional reporting by Renee Maltezou, Lefteris Papadimas and Harry Papachristou; Writing by Ingrid Melander and George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Kevin Liffey)