Greek ministers have launched a concerted effort to persuade European officials to release more bailout money as the government runs out of cash.
Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis was meeting his French counterpart before heading for Brussels, while colleagues headed for the European Central Bank.
The EU and IMF will not release €7.2bn (£5.3bn; $8bn) until they are satisfied with Greek plans for economic reform.
The EU has now slashed its 2015 growth forecast for Greece from 2.5% to 0.5%.
The Greek government is desperate to reach a deal with its international creditors before a scheduled €1bn debt interest repayment to the IMF on 12 May, but the two sides have yet to agree on labour reforms and pensions.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel over the phone on Monday night, but a Greek official said only that they had exchanged views on the relevant issues.
As his government pushed for a compromise, EU Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said that "in light of the persistent uncertainty", revising the forecast for Greece's growth had been unavoidable.
- Gross public debt: 177.1% in 2014; 180.2% in 2015; 173.5% in 2016
- Growth in GDP: 0.8% in 2014; 0.5% in 2015; 2.9% in 2016
- Unemployment: 26.5% in 2014; 25.6% in 2015; 23.2% in 2016
Mr Varoufakis was recently removed from Greece's negotiating team amid reports that eurozone counterparts were unhappy with his abrasive style.
Austrian Finance Minister Hans Joerg Schelling said the climate in the Brussels talks had improved and progress had been made, with time running out before a vital Eurogroup meeting on 11 May.
However, Mr Varoufakis was playing a key role in Greece's diplomatic campaign on Tuesday, first meeting French Finance Minister Michel Sapin in Paris before talks with Mr Moscovici in Brussels.
Euclid Tsakalotos, who took over as lead negotiator last week, and Deputy Prime Minister Yannis Dragasakis were due to meet ECB head Mario Draghi later.
As Greek ministers launched their push for a deal, officials in Athens told Reuters that they were willing to move ahead with two big asset sales - a €1.2bn deal with German operator Fraport to run regional Greek airports and the re-opening of bidding for a 51% stake in the biggest Greek port, at Piraeus.
SOURCE :BBC
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