The prospective partners in Germany’s new government resumed their push to nail down a coalition deal on Monday, but it was unclear whether they would clinch an agreement before the day is over.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Union bloc and the center-left Social Democrats originally set a Sunday deadline to wrap up talks on extending their alliance of the past four years, but budgeted two extra days as a precaution when formal negotiations started Jan. 26.

Still on the table are two points that are important to the Social Democrats: curbing the use of temporary work contracts and trying to narrow differences between Germany’s public and private health insurance systems.

“I assume that we can get this finally done today,” Volker Bouffier, a deputy leader of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, told reporters as he arrived for the talks. “I’m not certain, but confident. We may need until early tomorrow.”

Germany’s effort to put together a governing coalition after its Sept. 24 election is already its longest since World War II.

It won’t finish with these talks. A deal will have to be approved in a ballot of the Social Democrats’ members, many of whom are skeptical after a disastrous election result. That process will take a few weeks.

Merkel’s attempt to put together a government with two smaller parties collapsed in November. Social Democrat leader Martin Schulz, who had previously ruled out renewing the “grand coalition” of Germany’s biggest parties, then reversed course.

Failure to reach an agreement, or a deal’s rejection by Social Democrat members, would leave a minority government under Merkel or a new election as the only viable governing options.

Martin Schulz, head of Germany’s Social Democratic Party, SPD, speaks to journalists at the start of a new round of coalition talks in Berlin, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and the center-left Social Democrats embarked Sunday on what they hope is their last round of talks on forming a new German government, although the negotiations could take up to two more days. dpa via AP Kay Nietfeld

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Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article198401499.html

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German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Monday accused Angela Merkel of kowtowing to US President Donald Trump with her commitment to increase military spending.

“The Chancellor’s position to practically voluntarily bend over and promise to double the German military budget after the Bundestag election is nothing less than a sign to Trump that they will give in to his pressure,” he said in a statement.

Earlier the Social Democrats, which occupy roughly a third of the German parliament, the Bundestag, rejected NATO’s target of spending two percent of GDP on defense.

Thomas Oppermann, the SPD leader in the Bundestag, said it is “the wrong way,” and while the SPD is in government, there will be no boost in the military spending.

RT: What do you make of the statements from Sigmar Gabriel and Thomas Oppermann?

Bruno Kramm: I think it is at the moment just about the rally for the Bundestag. So basically their statements sound like the SPD, the Social Democrats are going a completely different way than the CDU [Christian Democratic Union] But basically they have many months before already confirmed they also would raise funding for the military up to two

RT: Are there many politicians with clout in Germany who support the Chancellor in her move to increase military spending to meet two percent of GDP?

BK: There are a lot of politicians, who of course would like to raise it, especially if you look at our Minister of Defense, Ursula von der Leyen. She always tries to make the Bundeswehr stronger. And briefly, it needs to be said the Bundeswehr and all their supplies and technology is on a bad level. There is a need for some money to be spent. But it got a special twist when Donald Trump came and was asking to raise the funds. I think there is a lot of leftist politicians who don’t want to go this way; who want to say Germany should get out of NATO. On the other side, there are the law and order people from the more conservative parties, who want to raise this fund.

RT: In your opinion, should German military spending be increased?

BK: My opinion is to leave NATO because NATO has just brought bad things, but this will not come. I am totally against raising this fund. I think at the moment we have enough weapons everywhere. It is more about de-escalation. And de-escalation needs communication and talks instead of playing with new military options and possibilities. If you look how NATO is trying on the eastern border of Europe to play like they are ready for a big strike against Russia, I think it is really time to demilitarize again, and especially Germany with its own history, and with its important history gives us as Germans the main voice for being peaceful, to be in negotiations. Today it is time to step out of NATO. The times of the Cold War are definitely over.

Source:  https://www.rt.com/op-edge/399666-germany-us-military-election/

The post ‘Germany should exit NATO; Cold War is over’ first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.