Germany moved a step towards resolving its political crisis Friday when the Social Democrats (SPD) said they were ready to hold talks with caretaker Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a sign they might offer the veteran leader their key support. “We won’t be obstructionist for the sake of being obstructionist,” said SPD leader Martin Schulz, dropping his earlier categorical rejection to a governing alliance with Merkel. The centre-left SPD — Merkel’s former junior coalition allies — vowed to go into opposition immediately after the election in which they scored a dismal result. However, Merkel’s talks with two other parties, the left-leaning Greens and pro-business FDP, collapsed early this week when the FDP unilaterally pulled out. Steinmeier met SPD leader Schulz on Thursday as part of a series of talks he is holding with all parties.

Source: Dhaka Tribune November 24, 2017 13:30 UTC