Lew: Greece, Europe should 'turn heat down' in bailout talks

European markets were gloomy were after the new prime minister of Greece outlined his government's policy statement to lawmakers on Sunday, declaring an end to austerity. Alexis Tsipras's demands for a "bridge agreement" giving Greece and its creditors time to negotiate a new debt deal raised fears that it would lead to the Mediterranean country leaving the euro.

Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew on Monday urged Greece and its European partners to quickly "tamp down the rhetoric a little bit" and seek a "practical and pragmatic path forward" in Greece's effort to ease back austerity measures in its international bailout package. "The heat has to come down a little bit in the conversation and the sooner that happens the better," Lew said in an interview with CNBC. Separately, when asked about concerns expressed by large U.S. multinational firms like Caterpillar CAT, -0.25% Apple AAPL, -0.45% and Procter & Gamble PG, -0.23% Lew replied that the dollar's exchange rate was a function of a strong domestic economy. "I think the real challenge is getting other economies to get back in the growth pattern where they are doing better and some of that [exchange rate differential] would then equalize," Lew said. The global economy has "weak spots" that need to be strengthened and that would be the focus of the G-20 meetings in Istanbul on Monday and Tuesday, he said. "Obviously, we would like to see more growth in Europe and we would like to see more growth in other parts of the world," he said.