Merkel’s allies object to border bans

berlin — The leader of Angela Merkel’s Bavarian allies told the party leadership on Sunday he saw no alternative to turning some migrants back at the German border, a party source said, a position that could escalate his conflict with the chancellor.

The party is due to decide whether the deals on migration Merkel brought home from a Brussels summit this week are enough to satisfy the restive Christian Social Union (CSU), who are determined to secure a tougher immigration policy.

Nine months after elections that saw her lose votes to the far right, a weakened Merkel was forced to turn to European Union neighbours to help resolve a conflict with her allies which could bring down her three-month-old coalition.

But the CSU’s leader, interior minister Horst Seehofer, told party colleagues that a discussion he had had with Merkel late on Saturday evening had been fruitless, according to a party source, and was adamant that there was no alternative to exclusions at the border, opposed by Merkel.

There were fresh signs on Sunday that the two leaders, entrenched in their positions, may fail to resolve their differences. Seehofer said the matter was also affecting the “credibility” of his role as party leader and is planning to give a statement to CSU leaders, party sources said.

The CSU party, facing a stiff challenge from the Alternative for Germany party in October’s regional election, is determined to seal off its right flank.

Earlier, EU leaders hammered out a deal to share out refugees on a voluntary basis and create “controlled centres” inside the European Union to process asylum requests.

Merkel said the agreements she had secured from her EU partners would have the migration-stemming effect the CSU wanted to achieve. —