UPDATE 1-Greece not planning to seek IMF help -minister

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NEW YORK Feb 4 (Reuters) - Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas reaffirmed on Thursday that his country was not planning to seek International Monetary Fund (IMF) assistance over its fiscal crisis.

"There is no thought at all about the IMF," Droutsas told reporters. He was speaking after IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said the fund would help Greece if asked.

Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said last week Greece was not seeking IMF financial aid, although it is receiving technical assistance from the fund. But Strauss-Kahn told France's RTL radio on Thursday, "We are there to help."

"Categorically may I say that any kind of idea regarding the International Monetary Fund, there is no idea about that," said Droutsas, who was visiting the United Nations on Thursday.

"There is no thought about this, and also may I say in this context that there is also no thought and no need about any financial assistance by the European Union itself."

Greece had a budget gap of 12.7 percent of gross domestic product in 2009 and its new socialist government plans to cut that to below 3 percent in 2012.

The European Union gave conditional approval on Wednesday to the plan. Droutsas said Athens was confident international markets would respond "very fast" to the EU move. (Reporting by Patrick Worsnip; Editing by Will Dunham)