Greens a majority. But this idea was slapped down by FDP chief Guido Westerwelle who said his party would stick to its vows not to serve with Schroeder. "Dream on - not with us," said Westerwelle, who sharply criticized Schroeder in a joint TV interview. Merkel said she was preparing to hold talks with all other parties in an attempt to form a government. Aside from a grand coalition with Schroeder's SPD, Merkel may seek to win the Greens into government with her CDU/CSU and FDP - even if such a marriage has never been tried at the regional or national level. Asked if he could imagine his Greens in government with Merkel, Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said the Greens were ready to hold talks with the conservatives. "But I cannot imagine how they would fit together," said Fischer. The Greens, who have been in a ruling coalition with the SPD since 1998, gained the support of 8.2 per cent of the electorate. Both the Greens and the FDP have rejected entering into coalition with each other.
