German president urges parties to compromise, end crisis

Berlin: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged on Monday political parties to reconsider their positions and find compromises to form a government, hours after coalition talks collapsed and plunged Germany into a crisis.

"Building a government has always been a difficult process of give and take, but the mandate to form a government is... perhaps the highest mandate given by voters to a party in a democracy. And this mandate remains," said Steinmeier, adding that "this is the moment where all participants need to reconsider their attitude."