Dresden (Germany) (AFP) - Finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of Seven wealthiest nations gathered in Dresden Thursday to discuss the global economy and tax evasion, but the Greek crisis was also high on everyone's minds. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and his counterparts from Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and the United States began the three-day meeting with a short ceremony on Wednesday evening in Dresden's rebuilt Frauenkirche, before they were scheduled to get down to the nitty gritty of talks on Thursday.The Frauenkirche church was almost totally destroyed in the bombing of Dresden by the British and US allies during World War II and the remaining ruins were left as a war memorial for more than 50 years.But it was painstakingly rebuilt following German unification and finally reconsecrated in 2005.Germany currently holds the rotating G7 presidency and has been at pains to stress that the Greek crisis is not officially on the agenda.Berlin insists that the G7 is not the correct forum for the Greek dossier, not least because Athens itself is not represented. But with all of the other key actors present -- notably International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde, Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem, European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi and EU monetary affairs commissioner Pierre Moscovici -- it would be illusory to believe that the subject will not be broached.Furthermore, Athens had proclaimed earlier that it was close to a loan deal with its creditors that would unlock badly-needed bailout loans for its struggling economy.- Not much progress -Nevertheless, G7 host Schaeuble denied there had been any new significant breakthroughs. Discussions "have not really progressed much further," he told ARD German public television on Wednesday evening, adding that he was "also a bit surprised that Athens is always saying that a deal is imminent."But it is not just the Europeans who insist that Greece's fate in the eurozone is a matter of urgency.

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