Greek PM offers to reopen state broadcaster-govt source

ATHENS, June 17 | Mon Jun 17, 2013 1:59pm EDT

(Reuters) - Greece's prime minister has offered to quickly restart state broadcaster ERT under temporary management, a government official said on Monday, in a bid to defuse a political crisis and avoid snaps elections.

Samaras made the offer during talks with coalition allies in an effort to bridge a rift over the broadcaster's abrupt closure that plunged Greece into fresh political turmoil, the official said.

However, he insists that ERT be restructured and restart as a new, slimmed-down broadcaster, the official said.

The official said Samaras also offered to reshuffle his cabinet at the end of June and update the coalition agreement with his allies, the Socialist PASOK and Democratic Left, in a bid to improve cooperation between the three parties.