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WORLD NEWS Monday 21 august 2017

Merkel stands by her 2015 decision to open German borders

day from his long-standing Christian Social Union party Merkel told private German
call for a cap on refugees. would sign a new govern- broadcaster RTL on Sunday
Seehofer previously de- ing coalition agreement that she would run for a full
manded an upper limit of with Merkel’s party without four-year term if she is re-
200,000 refugees per year. a firm assurance that there elected next month.
“The situation has changed, would be a maximum num- Asked whether she would
Berlin has changed ber of refugees allowed in stand for election again in
course,” Seehofer told Germany. Merkel has re- 2021, the 63-year-old chan-
public broadcaster ARD. jected such a cap. cellor said, “That will be dis-
“We now have significantly Seehofer said he would aim cussed again at the appro-
less immigration than at the to ensure the measures al- priate time.”
time when I made those ready taken to reduce ref- She repeatedly used the
comments.” ugee arrivals are protected same phrase before com-
He was responding to a by a future government af- mitting herself to run in this
question about whether his ter the Sept. 24 election. year’s election.q

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during the opening
of an election campaign house in Berlin, Germany, Friday,
Aug. 18, 2017. Merkel on Sunday stood by her decision to open
Germany’s borders to hundreds of thousands of refugees two
years ago.
(Michael Kappeler/dpa via AP)
By FRANK JORDANS “I still think my decision was
Associated Press right.”
BERLIN (AP) — German She added that her gov-
Chancellor Angela Merkel ernment had taken numer-
on Sunday stood by her ous steps to ensure the crisis
decision to open Germa- isn’t repeated.
ny’s borders to hundreds The influx of almost a million
of thousands of refugees refugees to Germany in
two years ago, a move she 2015 prompted sharp criti-
has previously defended as cism of Merkel from some
a necessary response to a politicians on the right, in-
humanitarian emergency. cluding her conservative
Asked during a pre-election allies in Bavaria.
television event with vot- But Horst Seehofer, who
ers whether she would do leads the Bavarian sister
things differently if faced party of Merkel’s Christian
with the same situation, Democratic Union, ap-
Merkel said in retrospect, peared to back away Sun-

Finland honors stabbing victims;
wounded suspect questioned

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland police say deliberately tar-
has observed a minute of geted women and is being
silence for the victims of investigated on charges of
a stabbing attack in the murder with possible terror-
western city of Turku that ist intent.
left two people dead and Finnish police have not
eight injured. identified the suspect, who
Hundreds of people gath- arrived in Finland last year.
ered in Turku’s central mar- He was shot in the thigh by
ket square on Sunday to police and remains hospi-
leave flowers and candles talized
at the location of Friday’s He was questioned for the
violence. first time on Sunday and
An 18-year-old asylum- investigators are exploring
seeker from Morocco is sus- possible links to last week’s
pected in the attack, which extremist attacks in Spain.q