The IMF is skirting the issue of actual cash to help relieve Greece’s debt burden.

A form of debt restructuring rather than outright forgiveness should enable Greece to handle its “unviable” debt burden, the head of the International Monetary Fund was quoted as telling a Swiss newspaper.

The IMF has yet to make clear if it will participate in the third 86-billion-euro ($96 billion) international bailout that Greece signed up to in early August, having argued in favor of a partial writedown of a debt burden it considers unsustainable in its current form.

Greece’s euro zone creditors, notably Germany, have ruled out a writedown but are willing to consider other forms of restructuring such as a lengthening maturities.

Asked about those differences, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde told Saturday’s edition of Le Temps: “The debate on cancelling the debt has never been open I don’t think it is necessary to open it if things go well…

“We are talking about extending maturities, reducing rates, (making) exemptions for a certain period of time. We are not speaking about cancelling debt.”

Lagarde has said the IMF will make a decision by October.