Technocrat Prime Minister Lucas Papademos must get the rival parties in his coalition to cooperate in persuading Greece's EU and IMF lenders to release a latest installment of emergency financing it needs to avoid default next month, plus longer term funding later.

Inspectors from the "troika" of the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the European Central Bank arrives in Athens on November 18 for talks on releasing the 8 billion euro (US$10.8 billion) installment, a troika source said.

One point of contention is sure to be a refusal by the leader of the conservative New Democracy party to sign a commitment to do whatever is needed to meet the terms of a 130 billion euro bailout agreed last month.

The cabinet is expected to approve the budget on November 18 with changes from earlier drafts before sending it to parliament, where it will proceed through committees for a vote by the whole chamber, which may not come until next week or later.