Christian Social Union (CSU) leader Horst Seehofer and Angela Merkel, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) talk to the media as they arrive at the German Parliamentary Society offices before the start of exploratory talks about forming a new coalition government in Berlin, Germany, October 20, 2017. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened what promised to be marathon coalition talks on Friday, hoping to bring three opposing political camps into a stable government despite signs there would be less money to paper over differences.
Merkel said she was optimistic as she entered talks between her conservative bloc, the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and the Greens, despite an assessment by her own party that the next government would have less fiscal room than expected.
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