Berlin, Dec 7 (AP) Germany's center-left Social Democratsagreed today to open talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel'sconservatives on whether to renew their governing coalition orat least to support a minority government.
Party leader Martin Schulz, Merkel's defeated challengerin Germany's Sept 24 election, secured a party congress'sagreement to a motion calling for talks on "whether and inwhat form" the party could support a new government.
Delegates voted down a call from party's youth wing toexplicitly rule out a repeat of the "grand coalition" ofGermany's biggest parties in which the Social Democrats havebeen junior partners since 2013.
But the road to a new government is likely to be lengthyand bumpy, a several-hour debate revealed little enthusiasmfor a coalition.
Schulz had insisted after the Social Democrats'disastrous election result in September that the party wouldgo into opposition.
He said he still wouldn't contemplate joining a newcoalition after Merkel's talks with two smaller partiescollapsed last month. But President Frank-Walter Steinmeiermade clear he doesn't want a new election, and Schulz reversedcourse.
Schulz told today's previously scheduled congress thatthe leadership's plan for talks, which he hopes to start nextweek, "takes no option off the table" and wouldn'tautomatically lead to a coalition.
"We don't have to govern at any price, but we alsoshouldn't want not to govern at any price," he said. "What isimportant is what we can implement."Schulz has promised a ballot of the party's entiremembership on any coalition deal with Merkel's Union bloc.
(AP)NSA.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.