berlin earn reputation europe chief crisis manager germany angela merkel must forge government awkward group ally bend nail coalition deal tight risk limit room act crisis strike chancellor go talk week form government task already tough lose grind sept. 24 national election hard defeat regional vote sunday weaken hand upshot must draw consensus-building skills form rule alliance conservatives pro-business free democrats fdp green term coalition deal one reach could determine merkel room maneuver domestic international stage 12 years power able steer europe euro zone refugee crises part due dominance home constraints ability swiftly shape enact policies could compromise germany leadership role three party group fail reach deal rank fear could lead public disenchantment fuel support far-right alternative germany afd enter parliament first time last month combination group go coalition talk untested national level merkel would-be ally guarantee success chancellor christian democrats cdu bavarian ally meet fdp green separately wednesday meet friday must gauge whether platform common policy find undecided fdp leader christian lindner tell deutschlandfunk radio tuesday add complications cdu fdp green want put deal grassroots party members approval fdp deputy leader wolfgang kubicki say would illusory believe could conclude negotiations christmas one major area contention immigration policy cdu conservative bavarian ally christian social union csu agree limit 200,000 year number migrants germany would accept humanitarian ground party reject cap instead favor immigration law criteria attract highly educate workers plug skills shortages say cdu/csu migrants agreement bake coalition deal juergen trittin green say pressure conservative bloc shift right bleed support afd could complicate talk form jamaica coalition so-called party color correspond jamaican flag fear make jamaica exploratory talk much difficult trittin tell passauer neue presse three party group also deep differences issue range european union reform tax environment jamaica coalition form tiny western german state saarland october 2009 collapse january 2012. formation take power far northern region schleswig-holstein elections may year annegret kramp-karrenbauer conservative state premier saarland lead former jamaica alliance stress need establish trust three national group important basic understand among people negotiate add ask foster trust understand reply talk talk talk size negotiate team cdu/csu green 28 14 people respectively undermine trust talk even begin kubicki tell focus magazine cardinal error enter discussions large team add conducive build trust basis good confidential negotiations result mutual suspicion negotiators push deep agreements coalition deal 130 page agree outgo grand coalition merkel conservatives center-left social democrats spd risk limit merkel freedom policymaking euro zone refugee crises foresee coalition agreements address ad hoc decisions germany budget surplus may help smooth path coalition talk however give scope satisfy side degree pay tax cut investment areas upgrade infrastructure digital age merkel unable form three-way coalition fdp green could try team spd though spd say want go opposition spd reject approach merkel find unable form government could try form minority government else call fresh elections unprecedented scenario get control political system 70 years stability bring threaten say one senior conservative speak condition anonymity mission impossible merkel 's coalition conundrum get hard