Merkel Hints At Gentler Stance Towards Southern European States

Germany has been insistent on recession-hit countries adopting stricter fiscal policies

BERLIN: At a news conference in Berlin last month Angela Merkel departed from script, hinting at a new, softer stance towards Europe's recession-hit southern states. 

"Fiscal policy is not everything," the German chancellor told reporters gathered on the first floor of the Chancellery for a visit by Enrico Letta, the Italian premier. "We do politics for people and people want jobs."