Merkel buys time on refugee crisis after defusing coalition spat

Berlin

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel won time to reach a Europe-wide solution to the region's refugee crisis after securing a deal to defuse a spat with her coalition partners that threatened her chancellorship.

The pact between Mrs Merkel's Christian Democratic-led bloc and the Social Democrats will ease deportations and restrict family reunions for asylum seekers who make their way to Germany. Still, her pledge to reduce the number of newcomers in 2016 will hinge on persuading Turkey and European Union member states to act. She's likely to discuss the crisis on Friday with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi when they meet in Berlin.

"I feel fortified following the results of today," Mrs Merkel said at a press conference late on Thursday in Berlin after a meeting with coalition leaders and Germany's state premiers. "We are getting a lot of things accomplished." The beleaguered chancellor's options in the 28-member European Union are narrowing as Sweden and Denmark tighten their borders, Austria seeks to impose a cap on migration and eastern European member states refuse to take in migrants. Mrs Merkel is pushing Mr Renzi to set up EU processing centres for refugees arriving on Italy's shores, while the Italian leader has accused the chancellor of focusing too much on French President Francois Hollande in seeking solutions. "Of course I'd be grateful if Angela and Francois could solve all the problems, but usually it doesn't work like that," Mr Renzi tol…