Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel dropped a hint for political leaders to overcome their differences, as talks between the parties to choose her successor got under way on Sunday, following last week's election.  

Speaking at celebrations in the eastern city of Halle to commemorate German reunification in 1990, Merkel said the country once again had the opportunity to shape its future.  

"We can argue over exactly how in the future, but we know that the answer is in our hands, that we have to listen and speak with each other, that we have differences, but above all things in common," Merkel said.  

"Be prepared for new encounters, be curious about others, tell your own histories and tolerate differences," Merkel said. "That is the lesson from 31 years of German unity."  

In what was billed as perhaps her last major speech as chancellor, Germany's long-serving leader seemed to deliver a message to the politicians haggling to form the next government. 

Merkel will leave office after 16 years in power once a new coalition can be formed after the outcome of last week's election in which her coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD) came out on top.  

The SPD and its candidate Olaf Scholz narrowly won last week's vote on 25.7 percent, with Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU)-Christian Social Union (CSU) alliance plunging to an all-time low of 24.1 percent under the beleaguered leadership of Armin Laschet. The two parties are set to hold talks on Sunday with the Greens and liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), with which they need to strike an agreement to grab the top job for themselves.  

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The liberal FDP pressed Merkel's conservatives to say whether they really want to lead a new coalition government, ramping up pressure on its would-be ruling partners ahead of exploratory talks on Sunday. 

Laschet, the conservatives' chancellor candidate, has said he wants to form a government, despite the CDU- CSU bloc's disappointing performance in last Sunday's vote. 

The close election result, with no party getting an overall majority, has kicked off a period of complex negotiations that could last weeks or months, with the FDP and the Greens as possible kingmakers.

"The CDU and CSU must clarify whether they really want to lead a government," FDP leader Christian Lindner told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. 

"Some of the CDU's words speculate that negotiations with the SPD should fail first before the Union comes back into play," he said, referring to the CDU-CSU alliance known as "the Union." "That cannot be put upon our country." 

Both the SPD and CDU-CSU conservative bloc are courting the two smaller parties to get a parliamentary majority for a ruling coalition. Polls show voters would prefer the SPD to lead it. 

The Greens would prefer the two smaller "kingmakers" to team up with the SPD, but the FDP is closer to the conservatives. 

(With input from AFP, Reuters)