Merkel hopeful EU dispute over refugee issue will soon end

Berlin

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was optimistic that a dispute over how to distribute asylum seekers in the EU would soon be resolved after a court ruled on Wednesday that member states must take in a share of refugees who reach Europe.

Speaking to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper two weeks before a national election in which she is expected to win a fourth term, Mrs Merkel said she welcomed the court's decision.

Separately, the newspaper also reported that in negotiations between member states about redistribution, a compromise was starting to emerge which would link acceptin…