President Steinmeier summons German grand coalition partners for talks

Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) appeared close to dropping their opposition to renewing cooperation with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday. A planned summit between the two camps could offer a way out of the current political impasse. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he would host a meeting between the leaders of Merkel’s conservative camp and SPD leader Martin Schulz next week to discuss the situation following the collapse of talks on a three-way coalition. The announcement followed hours of talks among the SPD leadership that lasted into the early hours of Friday after Schulz returned from a one-to-one meeting with Steinmeier, who has suggested that fresh elections are a last resort, Reuters reports.