ATHENS, March 17 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has asked for a meeting with top European policymakers including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi on the sidelines of an EU summit this week, a Greek government official said on Tuesday.
Tsipras made the request for the meeting - at which he also sought the participation of European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and French President Francois Hollande - to European Council President Donald Tusk, the official said.
Greece's government is facing a cash crunch as it remains shut out of debt markets while EU partners have frozen financial aid until it completes reforms.
Tsipras - who has long called for a "political solution" by EU leaders to Greece's funding problems - has said he expected the funding squeeze would be resolved at this week's EU summit, scheduled for March 19 and 20.
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou, Writing by Deepa Babington)