Frankfurt (dpa) - European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi is expected to restate at his press conference on Thursday the ECB‘s determination to forge ahead with its bond-buying programme, while facing a barrage of questions on the chances of a Greek debt deal. Despite concerns that the eurozone economy may have run out of steam in recent months, the ECB‘s 25-head governing council is expected to leave its benchmark refinancing rate on hold at a historic low of 0.05 per cent at its meeting in Frankfurt. Instead, analysts say the ECB chief will tell his press briefing after the council‘s meeting that the Frankfurt-based bank will roll out its 60-billion-euro (67-billion-dollar) a month private and public asset purchasing programme as planned until September next year. Draghi is also likely to reassure investors that the recent volatility in the government bond market was a correction after eurozone bond prices hit record highs earlier this year. Draghi is also expected to be pressed by reporters for further details of the compromise deal between Athens and its international creditors that eurozone officials say is taking shape as part of negotiations to head off the threat of Greece running out of money. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is due to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels later Wednesday, his government announced Tuesday, amid intense media speculation in Athens that a breakthrough is imminent in the country‘s bailout saga. Draghi could also use his press conference to outline further emergency ECB financial assistance to Athens, analysts say. Unleashed in March, the bank‘s 1.14 trillion-euro quantitative easing scheme is aimed at firing up the 19-member eurozone‘ss struggling economy and spurring inflationary pressures in the currency bloc and consequently ending the risk of a prolonged period of deflation. Draghi is likely to claim that the programme has already been bearing fruit with annual inflation springing back into positive territory for the first time since in May. Annual consumer prices rose by 0.3 per cent in May after stagnating in April, the European Union statistics office Eurostat said on Tuesday. Draghi is also set to unveil on Wednesday the bank‘s new set of growth and inflation projections.

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