Merkel ally renews refugee cap demand, but avoids threats


              German Chancellor Angela Merkel waits for the start of the annual 'Summer Interview' with the German broadcasting service ARD in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, July 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel waits for the start of the annual 'Summer Interview' with the German broadcasting service ARD in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, July 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

BERLIN (AP) - Chancellor Angela Merkel's Bavarian ally has renewed calls for a cap on the number of refugees Germany accepts, but has avoided making it a condition for joining her in government again after this fall's election.

The conservative bloc of Merkel's Christian Democrats and Bavarian governor Horst Seehofer's Christian Social Union enjoys a double-digit poll lead before Germany's September election.

Seehofer's demand for an annual cap of 200,000 on refugees was a major irritant last year, when he said his party wouldn't join another government without one. Merkel insisted Sunday she won't accept it.

Seehofer said Monday the cap "remains a CSU aim" but avoided making it a condition. News agency dpa reported he said: "First, we want to win the election."

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