Talks with Merkel to begin soon, Germany's SPD leader Schulz says

BERLIN - Reuters

Germany's SPD leader Martin Schulz said on Dec. 4 that talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives about forming a government would start next week if party members gave the go-ahead at the SPD party congress later in the week.

"We'll explore whether and how the formation of a government is possible in Germany," Schulz told journalists.

The SPD leadership has agreed to recommend to its members to enter talks with the conservatives, Schulz said, adding that the party's members had the final say.