Meanwhile while the country’s prime minister, Antonis Samaras was confined to his home, recovering from A serious eye surgery.

Vassilis Rapanos, 64, chairman of the National Bank of Greece, announced that he is not well enough to become finance minister. The banker was hospitalized on Friday after complaining of abdominal pain and dizziness.

“The recent incident that led me to being hospitalized indicated that my health problem has not been overcome,” Rapanos said according to a letter released by Antonis Samaras’ press office. “Following discussions that I had with my doctors, I have concluded that the condition of my health, for the time being, is not appropriate in order to fulfill my duties adequately.”

Samaras accepted Rapanos’s decision but according to sources the prime minister had suspected since Saturday the incoming finance minister would reject the role as it appears that beyond his health problems, Rapanos had serious concerns about the cabinet named by Samaras, according to Kathimerini.

The post is currently held by caretaker Giorgos Zannias.  Zannias will accompany President Karolos Papoulias to the European Union leaders’ two day summit on Thursday.

PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos and Democratic Left chief Fotis Kouvelis, who Samaras will meet at his home Tuesday, held talks Monday and decided not to travel to Brussels this week. Instead, they agreed to wait until Samaras recovers from eye surgery, accoridng to Kathimerini.

But before this week’s summit, international debt inspectors known as the troika, representatives from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF,  were due to visit Athens to review Greece’s financial situation. They postponed the trip due to Samaras’ and Rapanos’ health.

Without the troika report on Greece’s progress on the economic reforms demanded by creditors, Germany said it would be not be able to make any new decisions.

It is a worrying start for the new government, formed after the second election in a month, which faces huge domestic opposition to a harsh international bailout in return for austerity measures that have left the country in deep recession.

In a statement by government spokesman Government Simos Kedikoglou said that Samaras was under strict orders from his doctors not to travel to the two-day summit, at the end of next week, after undergoing eye surgery for a detached retina on Saturday with the operation said to be a success.

Incoming Minister of finance Vassilis Rapanos remains in hospital after feeling faint on Friday and complaining of stomach pains, according to Kathimerini. Vassilis Rapanos is expected to be released from hospital on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.

Kedikoglou added that Greece would be represented at the EU summit by Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos  joined by outgoing Finance Minister Giorgos Zanias, Alternate Finance Minister Christos Staikouras and Development Minister Costis Hatzidakis, according to Kathimerini. 

The “troika” of rescue lenders have also postponed a planned visit to Athens on Monday due to Samaras’ poor health.

The coalition government announced on Saturday the main points of Greece’s bailout program that it would like to renegotiate with the troika. Athens will seek tax cuts, extra help for the poor and unemployed, a freeze on public sector lay-offs and two more years to cut its deficit, according to AP. 

The new date for the trip will be determined later in the week.