Merkel: 'Big obstacles' remain in coalition talks
CGTN
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Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany's top parties still had "big obstacles" to surmount before reaching a new coalition deal, as a last-ditch round of negotiations went down to the wire.
After more than 15 hours of talks and still no agreement in sight between Merkel's conservatives and the center-left Social Democrats, German media reported that the meetings could drag past the Thursday deadline into Friday.
Issues surrounding finance were emerging as key sticking points even as Germany posted sterling growth for 2017 and a record surplus.
Merkel, who is battling to form a new government to salvage her political future, had warned that it would be a "tough day" of talks.
Acting German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for exploratory talks about forming a new coalition government at the SPD headquarters in Berlin, Germany, January 11, 2018. /VCG Photo

Acting German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for exploratory talks about forming a new coalition government at the SPD headquarters in Berlin, Germany, January 11, 2018. /VCG Photo

She said her conservative Christian Democrats would "work constructively to find the necessary compromises but we are also aware that we need to execute the right policies for our country."
September's inconclusive elections left Merkel without a majority and struggling to find partners to govern Europe's biggest economy.
After her earlier attempt at forging a coalition with two smaller parties collapsed, she is now pinning her hopes on renewing an alliance with the Social Democrats (SPD).
SPD leader Martin Schulz also spoke of "big obstacles" on the last day of preliminary talks in which the parties were sounding each other out over whether to move on to formal coalition negotiations.
He said his party wanted to ensure that the new government was committed "above all to working toward renewal of the European Union."
Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Martin Schulz arrives for exploratory talks about forming a new coalition government at the SPD headquarters in Berlin, Germany, January 11, 2018. /VCG Photo

Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Martin Schulz arrives for exploratory talks about forming a new coalition government at the SPD headquarters in Berlin, Germany, January 11, 2018. /VCG Photo

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier reminded all sides that they "have a responsibility towards Europe and for reliability, partnership and engagement in international politics."
Merkel badly needs the talks to succeed, as do Schulz and the leader of her Bavarian allies, Horst Seehofer, said political analyst Karl-Rudolf Korte of Duisburg-Essen University.
"The negotiations are not just about a coalition, but also their careers. It would be the end for all three if this coalition does not come about," he told public broadcaster ZDF.
Source(s): AFP