German party leaders haggle hard for chancellery

Conservative challenger Angela Merkel is still pressing hard to replace Gerhard Schroeder as chancellor of Germany after the two opponents held another meeting to try to hammer out a coalition accord.

The nearly three-week battle of wills between Schroeder and reform-minded Merkel over who will lead the country continued last night with a with a face-to-face meeting, amid signs they might be within reach of a coalition deal to end the stalemate from last month’s inconclusive election.