Ex-chancellor Schroeder praises political rival Merkel

BERLIN (Reuters) - In a gesture all too rare in election years, former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has lavished praise on his successor and political adversary Angela Merkel for "leading with restraint" in Europe.

In an interview with Der Spiegel magazine, Schroeder complimented Merkel on the way she had not ducked away from leading Europe through the euro zone crisis now, though he said her initial hesitation several years ago made the single currency's rescue efforts more expensive than they had to be.