11 December 2017•Update: 12 December 2017
By Ayhan Simsek
BERLIN
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday urged swift talks to form a stable coalition government.
Following a high-level meeting of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), Merkel said the bloc has prepared for Wednesday’s coalition talks with the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
“Now we have a common position paper on migration and also on the issues of skilled labor immigration,” Merkel told a news conference in Berlin.
The chancellor did not give any details about any possible compromise with the CSU, which previously opposed her liberal refugee policy.
She added: “Of course, we are seeing differences between our positions and the positions of Social Democrats but we are also seeing a whole range of issues where our positions overlap.”
Merkel reiterated her opposition to running a minority government, saying that it “would not be a stable government”.
The CDU/CSU alliance emerged the largest bloc in the Bundestag following September’s federal election but failed to secure an absolute majority.
Coalition talks between the conservative bloc, the Free Democratic Party and the Greens failed last month after weeks of negotiation.
Last week, the SPD agreed to preliminary talks. Leader Martin Schulz previously opposed a repetition of the “grand coalition” of the previous parliament -- blaming it for his party's electoral losses.
