B777 CREW HAD MAINT ATTEMPT TO GET CREW TO ACCEPT INOP FUEL QUANTITY ON AN ATLANTIC ETOPS FLT THAT WAS NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MEL.

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WE WROTE UP THE L FUEL GAUGE ON OUR ORIGINAL ACFT (WHICH I'M SORRY I DON'T HAVE THE TAIL NUMBER FOR) GOING OUT OF BAL WITH THE R FUEL GAUGE. WE WERE GETTING INTERMITTENT EICAS FUEL IMBAL INDICATIONS. LOOKING AT THE MAINT DISPLAY WE COULD SEE THAT SEVERAL OF THE PROBES IN THE L TANK WERE RADICALLY LOW COMPARED TO THE R TANK. THESE PROBES WERE EVIDENTLY IN THE OUTBOARD SECTION OF THE L WING. THE RESULT WAS A FUEL IMBAL AT THE GATE OF UP TO 5000 LBS. OUR LIMITATION FOR TAXI; TKOF; AND LNDG IS 3000 LBS WHEN THE TOTAL MAIN TANK FUEL IS GREATER THAN 114000 LBS. WE HAD OVER 120000 LBS IN THE MAINS. WHEN MAINT ARRIVED THEY SIGNED THE ACFT OFF AS GOOD FOR FLT; NO LEAKS NOTED; ON THE BASIS OF B777 OPERATING MANUAL PINK BULLETIN HAVING TO DO WITH FUEL QUANTITY INDICATING SYS MALFUNCTIONS. THIS IS TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE BECAUSE THE DISPATCH OF ACFT IS NOT GOVERNED BY THE ACFT OPERATING MANUAL; BUT THE APPROPRIATE MEL. WE CHKED THE B777 MEL AND IT SAYS THAT YOU NEED ALL 3 TANK INDICATIONS TO FLY TO EUROPE -- NO EXCEPTIONS NOTED. I THINK THE APCH TAKEN BY MAINT IS TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IN THAT IT ENCOURAGES PLTS TO ACCEPT ACFT NOT ON THE BASIS ON THE MEL; BUT ON SOME TOTALLY BOGUS CRITERIA COOKED UP BY MAINT.