Greek leaders at crisis talks in Athens have agreed to form a new national unity¹ government, the president's office says.

希腊总统办公室称，正在雅典商讨债务危机的领导同意组建一个新的国家联合政府。

Beleaguered²（包围的） Prime Minister George Papandreou has agreed to stand down and his successor will be chosen during talks on Monday, a statement said.

The coalition³ is to lead the country until elections, which could be held on 19 February, the finance ministry⁴ said.

The announcement followed a week of turmoil⁵（混乱，骚动） over Greece's debt crisis.

Once the new leader is named, Mr Papoulias will invite parties to join the new government, according to the statement from the president's office.

The plan envisages⁶（正视，面对） elections once the government approves an EU bailout package.

Talks between Mr Papandreou and main opposition⁷ leader Antonis Samaras were hosted by President Karolos Papoulias on Sunday evening.

Mr Papandreou had been trying to build a national unity government to replace his Pasok party administration, but Mr Samaras, of the New Democracy party, had been refusing to negotiate unless his rival resigned first.

The two men also disagreed sharply on the timing⁸ of new elections, with Mr Papandreou seeking a delay of several months while Mr Samaras wanted them immediately.

There has been speculation⁹ that the new coalition could be led by current Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos or by Lukas Papademos, a former deputy president of the European Central Bank.

A Greek government spokesman a new administration would be sworn in and a confidence vote held within a week if all went well.

"Today was a historic day for Greece," Ilias Mossialos said.

A spokesman for the New Democracy party said it was "absolutely satisfied" with the outcome of the talks.

"Our two targets, for Mr Papandreou to resign and for elections to be held, have been met," the New Democracy spokesman told AP news agency, speaking on condition of anonymity¹⁰（匿名） .

At a late-night meeting on Sunday, Mr Venizelos met opposition members and agreed that 19 February would be the most suitable date for elections, according to a finance ministry statements.

However few other details have emerged, such as how quickly the bailout deal might be approved.