Greece confirms sent 'amended' proposal to creditors

The Greek government confirmed Wednesday it had sent an "amended" last-minute proposal to its international creditors in the hope of sealing a deal to stave off financial ruin.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras wrote to the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund on Tuesday evening, just as the European part of Greece's bailout was set to expire.

He asked for "a new agreement that regulates the country's financing issues through the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), to ensure debt sustainability by focusing on growth," a government source said.

The government said any deal would have to allow Greece to maintain a 30 percent VAT discount on islands and postpone a 2012 pension reform until October 2015.

Sources in Brussels said there were "substantial" changes from the creditors' last offer, which was turned down by Tsipras on the weekend and branded "humiliating".

The Greek announcement got a lukewarm reaction in Berlin, with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble saying any new deal between won't be possible before Greece holds a referendum on Sunday.

Athens has sent an "amended" proposal to creditors in the hope of staving off financial ruin, but Schaeuble said "before the referendum there is indeed no basis" to strike an agreement.