‘I wish I could turn back time’ Merkel finally admits

20th September 2016 Paul

‘I wish I could turn back time’ Merkel finally admits she REGRETS open-door migrant policy

By Alix Culbertson and Monika Pallenberg

PUBLISHED: 03:08, Tue, Sep 20, 2016 | UPDATED: 07:48, Tue, Sep 20, 2016

Following a devastating defeat in Berlin state elections today, Mrs Merkel said she accepted her share of responsibility for voters punishing her ruling Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) party for her refugee-friendly migrant policy.Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, she said: “If I could, I would turn back the time by many, many years.”

The German premier admitted she could have been better prepared for the influx of migrants last year.

She added if she knew how people wanted her to change her migrant policy she would consider it.

And she admitted Germany had not been “world champions” in integrating migrants in the past, saying it would take time to integrate them.

Monday’s defeat is the second in two weeks, with the Chancellor being defeated in her own constituency in the state of Mecklenburg-Western-Pomerania.

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Mrs Merkel said she wished she could turn back time to change her open-door migrant policy of 2015

Attacks by migrants and clashes with Germans have plagued the country over the past year as they struggle to cope with the numbers unprecedented in modern times.

Sounding particularly conciliatory, Mrs Merkel added that if the wish of the German people was for the country not to be swamped with uncontrolled and unregulated migration “then that is exactly what I am fighting for”.

Right-wing party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), made big gains during the weekend’s state elections as Germans reacted to Mrs Merkel’s policy.

The German Chancellor said her party needed to reach out to AfD supporters and she is still motivated to lead the country and her party.

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Members of the AfD celebrated their win over the CDU in Berlin

She said: “Back in 1989, when the wall came down, it looked like we were on the right path, that everyone else just needed to imitate our model.”But it turned out that it’s not that easy.

“The saying ‘we can do this’ is part of my political work. I really don’t want to repeat it anymore. Some feel provoked by this sentence but it wasn’t meant that way.

“If people decide that they do not want to take in people of a Muslim belief then the constitution, the Christian values and my personal opinion will be opposed to that.

“I myself have also relied on the Dublin agreement for a long time, that, simply speaking, removed the problem from Germany.”That was not good. And if I could I would turn back time for many, many years to be able to better prepare myself with the entire government and all those responsible for this situation that hit us when we were rather unprepared in the late summer of 2015.

“Since then we have tried with all our might to shape, organise and regulate and much has already been achieved with this, very much.

“Still, I am aware that many areas are still lacking.”

Despite the devastating double defeat, the Chancellor said she had the “absolutely certain feeling that Germany will come out of this difficult phase better than it entered it”.

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Mrs Merkel has faced serious criticism, with EU President Tusk blaming her for the migrant crisis

If I could, I would turn back the time by many, many years

Angela Merkel

Commenting on a recent poll showing 82 percent of voters wanted a change in her migrant policy, she added: “If I knew what change in policy people wanted, I would be ready to consider it and to talk about it.””But the poll does not give any advice on that,” she added.

A backlash against her migrant policy has raised questions about whether Merkel, Europe’s most powerful leader, will stand for a fourth term next year. Given a dearth of options in her party, however, she is still the most likely candidate.

Asked whether she will run again next year, Merkel smiled and declined to comment. She said she was still motivated.

A year before the national election, the Berlin result has deepened rifts in her conservative camp, with her CDU and their Bavarian allies – the Christian Social Union (CSU) – blaming each other within minutes of Sunday’s results.The CSU wants to cap the number of migrants coming into Germany at 200,000 a year. Merkel has so far rejected such a ceiling, but sounded ready for compromise.

She said that if the wish of the German people was for the country not to be swamped with uncontrolled and unregulated migration “then that is exactly what I am fighting for”.

Merkel is pushing for a European solution to the migration challenge by securing the continent’s external borders, agreeing migration deals with countries like Turkey and distributing refugees across Europe.

The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), which with 14 percent of the vote will enter its 10th of the country’s 16 regional assemblies, said it would target a double digit score in next year’s national vote after the “terrific” Berlin result.

“More and more people are convinced and recognising that we are a real alternative not just for Berlin but for Germany,” AfD co-leader Joerg Meuthen told a news conference in the capital.

Content retrieved from: http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/712125/Angela-Merkel-admits-regrets-open-door-migrant-policy.