US Treasury chief Lew to visit France, Germany

(WASHINGTON) - US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew will travel to Germany and France on Wednesday and Thursday for talks with top officials after the tentative new bailout deal for Greece.

The Treasury said Tuesday that Lew will meet with European Central Bank President Mario Draghi in Frankfurt on Wednesday.

The following day Lew will have talks in Berlin with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, and then in Paris with French Finance Minister Michel Sapin.

The Treasury said the aim of the talks was "to continue engagement with European counterparts on the ongoing situation in Greece," which still needs to pass certain basic reforms to proceed on finalizing the bailout.

On Monday Lew hailed the agreement between Greece and European Union official creditors as a crucial step toward rebuilding trust and reviving the Greek economy.

He added that Greece's reform pledges "will require difficult steps by all of the parties and substantial work remains to be done."