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German coalition talks on refugee crisis end without deal

German coalition talks on refugee crisis end without deal

By REUTERS

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a joint news conference with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing October 29, 2015. Photo: Reuters

BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel and her coalition partners ended a meeting on Sunday on how to deal with Germany's refugee crisis with agreement in some areas but the need for more talks on other points, a government spokesman said. Merkel, the leader of her conservatives' Bavarian sister party, and Social Democrat (SPD) chief Sigmar Gabriel would meet again on Thursday, spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement. 'There is a lot of common ground and some points that remain open and still to be settled,' Steffen said, adding that these included the idea of introducing so-called 'transit zones' at border crossings to process refugees' asylum requests.