Oil near $97 as traders eye Greek debt talks SINGAPORE (AP) - Oil prices fell to near $97 a barrel Monday in Asia amid investor concerns about Greek debt talks. Benchmark crude for March delivery was down 53 cents at $97.31 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude was down 20 cents at $114.41 a barrel on the ICE Futures Exchange in London. Traders are wary that Greece may not be able to reach a deal with bondholders for an orderly debt default. Greek political leaders are scheduled to speak later Monday about economic austerity measures brokered by European leaders and the International Monetary Fund. Investors were cheered by evidence that the U.S. economy may grow this year more than previously expected. Analysts remain concerned that crude demand in developed countries, particularly those in Europe, will be weak this year. Walt Disney, Coca-Cola, and Cisco Systems are scheduled to announce fourth quarter results this week. In other energy trading, heating oil was down 0.3 cent at $3.11 per gallon and gasoline futures fell 0.5 cent to $2.91 per gallon. Natural gas slid 4.8 cents to $2.45 per 1,000 cubic feet.