* Iceland PM says sees no sign of Icesave breakthrough
* Says major changes in UK, Dutch position would be needed
* Iceland to hold Icesave vote in late Feb, early March
* Says govt would "not necessarily" step down if loses vote
By Omar Valdimarsson and Niklas Pollard
REYKJAVIK, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Icelandic Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir said on Tuesday she saw no sign talks might be reopened with Britain and the Netherlands on repaying more the $5 billion lost in the collapse of the island's banks.
"If there were to be an opening of some sort, some way to reconcile our differences, then that would certainly be worth looking at," she said in a Reuters interview.
"But there are no such options visible at the moment."
Icelanders are due to vote in late February or early March on a deal struck between Sigurdardottir's government and its larger European neighbours after the president last week refused to sign an amended bill on repayment, forcing a referendum.
Sigurdardottir said the main task of her coalition cabinet of Social Democrats and Left-Greens remained to prepare for the referendum, which the latest opinion poll suggests would result in a rejection of the so-called Icesave bill.
"At the same time we are looking into the possibility of reconciling the issue at home and abroad," she said. "But in order for this to happen we would need to see major changes in the position of the other side."
But there was little time for efforts to reach a new agreement of the issue that has haunted Icelandic politics and the North Atlantic island nation's relations with its European neighbours to yield solid results, Sigurdardottir said.
"If we find a way to reconcile our opinions then we would need to see the result of that in the next few weeks, 2-4 weeks at the most. The referendum process will continue in the meantime," she said.
The Icelandic centre-right opposition has said the government should step down if its high-profile bill is rejected by voters in the nation of only 320,000 inhabitants.
"Not necessarily," Sigurdardottir countered. "There is nothing that says we must step down if the vote goes against us. We will evaluate the situation when the time comes."
"But I don't think it would be good to mix these things together -- to turn this into a campaign on whether this government lives or not. I imagine, though, that it's inevitable that this will happen, such are the political realities."
Sigurdardottir's coalition became Iceland's first left-wing government less than a year ago, winning early elections held after the previous government fell in the face of protests over its handling of the financial meltdown.
Recent opinion polls show the centre-left coalition retains a majority among voters.
UNFAIR
Many Icelanders are furious about being left to foot the bill for the mistakes of their free-wheeling banks and the perceived harsh terms of repayment forced upon them by their larger European neighbours.
The government now faces the difficult task of convincing voters to accept out of necessity a deal that not even Sigurdardottir believes is strictly fair.
"This was an enormous blow to our country and in many ways unfair that we're left with this burden that we're now struggling with and may be struggling with for years or even decades," she said.
Sigurdardottir sees European Union membership as a road to economic stability for the country. Iceland handed in its EU application last year and will hold a referendum on whether to join once a treaty is agreed.
Anger over the perceived harsh terms forced on Iceland in the Icesave issue by Britain and the Netherlands, both EU members, risked spilling over on public sentiment toward joining the bloc, Sigurdardottir said.
"To mix these two issues up is outlandish. But at the same time, I cannot deny that at the moment this appears to be influencing attitudes towards the EU," she said.
"My hope is that this will turn again once we have something in hand to present with regard to our EU application." (Editing by Janet Lawrence)