Germany’s top political leaders were to meet today at a summit aimed at resolving their two-and-a-half-week stand-off over who will lead the country, with Angela Merkel’s conservatives hopeful Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will let go of the top job.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and conservative rival Angela Merkel head into a third round of talks today on forming a possible coalition to resolve a deadlock over who should lead Germany.