France will do all it can to keep Greece in the eurozone, because allowing it to leave would be too risky, PM Manuel Valls has said.
"The basis for a deal exists," he said, ahead of an emergency eurozone summit in Brussels.
However, Germany has warned against any unconditional debt write-off.
Eurozone ministers have called on Greece to put forward fresh proposals after Greek voters rejected the latest draft bailout deal in a referendum.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met Greek political party leaders on Monday and headed to Brussels on Tuesday morning, where he is expected to present new proposals.
His plan is said to include a demand for Greece's vast €323bn ($356bn; £228bn) debt to be cut by up to 30%, with a 20-year grace period.
Greece's teetering banks are to stay closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The European Central Bank (ECB) is maintaining its pressure on the banks, refusing to increase emergency lending and ordering them to provide more security for existing emergency loans.
The view from Germany - Jenny Hill, BBC News, Berlin
A picture of Angela Merkel wearing an old Prussian military helmet dominates the front cover of Bild. "Today," the headline reads "we need the Iron Chancellor!" referring to Otto von Bismarck, who first held the post.
For weeks the tabloid has been leading the charge against Greece. Like many here, it has had enough. "No more billions for Greece," it urged on Tuesday.
The chancellor is under huge domestic pressure not to cave in to Greek demands for debt relief. Her deputy, Sigmar Gabriel, has said that to do so would destroy the eurozone.
And on Tuesday the CSU (her party's Bavarian ally) went further: general secretary Andreas Schueur wants Berlin to reject further negotiations, let alone a third bailout package. The Bavarian finance minister, Markus Soeder, has said he simply wants Greece out of the eurozone.
And these are the MPs who will have to vote before negotiations over any proposed new deal can even start. Mrs Merkel says she wants to keep the eurozone together; she's got a battle on her hands at home first.
New demands
European finance ministers and officials gathered in Brussels told reporters they wanted to hear new proposals from Greece's new finance minister, Euclid Tsakalotos, ahead of a full summit of eurozone leaders later.
Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem said as he arrived: "The pressure is especially on the Greeks, the banks are closed and the situation is difficult. I guess the Greek government has an interest in coming up with serious and credible solutions soon."
European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici added: "On Sunday the Greeks gave their voice but there are also 18 other countries with a voice."
Peter Kazimir, finance minister of Slovakia - one of the countries with the highest exposure to Greek debt - said he was "sceptical" that a deal would be found, adding that debt relief was a "red line for my country".
What are the scenarios for Greece?
Mr Tsipras met Greek political party leaders on Monday to agree demands to reach a "socially fair and economically viable deal". According to Greek media, the demands include:
- Securing liquidity for Greece's financial system
- Credible reforms with reduced recessionary impacts
- Strong programme for growth
- Restructuring of Greek debt - that could mean writing some off and rescheduling repayments.
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