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WORLD NEWS Saturday 18 November 2017
Merkel presses on with government talks, length unclear

conservative bloc seeking exactly trivial but, despite
a previously untried coali- all the difficulties, I am go-
tion with the pro-business ing into these negotiations
Free Democrats and the with the will to fulfill the task
traditionally left-leaning voters gave us of forming a
Greens. After four weeks government.”
of exploratory talks, their Failure could lead to new
immediate aim now is to elections as the center-left
establish enough common Social Democrats, Merkel’s
ground to embark on for- partners in the outgoing
mal coalition negotiations. government, are adamant
The parties aimed to wrap they will go into opposi-
up the talks Thursday night tion after a disastrous result
but, after haggling for in September. Polls so far
about 15 hours, adjourned suggest that a new vote
until Friday. So far, they have would produce a very simi-
struggled to overcome lar parliament to the cur-
major longstanding differ- rent one, making efforts to
ences on immigration and form a new government
climate change-related is- similarly difficult. A decision
sues, but also on financial to open coalition negotia-
questions. A dispute over tions, which would likely last
German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a brief statement before the start of the final day of the whether migrants granted several more weeks, would
talks between her Christian Democrats, the Greens and the Free Democratic Party FDP on the protection that falls short of require approval by a
fundamentals for forming a new government in Berlin. asylum should be allowed Greens party congress later
(Michael Kappeler/dpa via AP) to bring close relatives to this month. The Free Dem-
By GEIR MOULSON a new German govern- Participants suggested that Germany is proving partic- ocrats’ leader, Christian
Associated Press ment on Friday after a night they may need several ularly thorny. “It’s not easy Lindner, said the parties
BERLIN (AP) — Chancel- of negotiations failed to re- more days. — we saw that yesterday,” agreed they should “use
lor Angela Merkel pressed solve differences between Germany’s Sept. 24 elec- Merkel said Friday. “Tying the coming days” to over-
ahead with efforts to form the four parties involved. tion left Merkel’s two-party the ends together is not come their differences.q

Polish PM says country was

slandered in EU Parliament

GOTEBORG, Sweden (AP) Goteborg, Sweden, the
— Poland’s prime minis- conservative Szydlo said
ter told other European she strongly condemned
leaders at a summit Friday extremism but that most
that it is not acceptable who marched were not ex-
that Poles who took part tremists.
in an Independence Day “I will never allow my na-
march in Warsaw were tion, which was a victim of
denounced as “fascists” in two totalitarian states, (or)
the European Parliament. the citizens of my country,
Prime Minister Beata Szydlo to be slandered and insult-
said she would never let ed,” Szydlo said.
Poles to be “slandered and The march was organized
insulted” in such a way in by the National Radical
an international forum. Camp and the All-Polish
Some 60,000 people joined Youth, modern incarna-
a march Saturday that was tions of radical nationalist
organized by extreme far- groups that first arose in the
right groups. 1930s.
Some carried banners call- Polish President Andrzej
ing for a “White Europe” or Duda sharply condemned
displayed other white su- the expressions of extrem-
premacist symbols, includ- ism on the country’s Inde-
ing the Celtic Cross. pendence Day.
The march sparked criti- However, other govern-
cism of Poland in a debate ment officials have de-
Wednesday in the Europe- scribed the extremist ele-
an Parliament, where some ments as marginal.
representatives described Szydlo on Friday called the
the participants as “fas- march a “beautiful white-
cists.” red manifestation,” a ref-
Speaking Friday after a erence to the colors of the
European Union summit in national flag.q