WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund said on Friday it had received a letter from Greece seeking a loan facility. 'We will discuss with the Greek authorities and with our European partners the timing and the modalities for the discussions,' the IMF added in a short statement. The Greek Finance Ministry said earlier on Friday that Greece had formally submitted a request to the IMF for the new loan facility. Greece is due to begin talks with European Union and IMF lenders on a new bailout deal. The extent of the IMF's participation has remained unclear once its current program expires next year.