BERLIN, Sept. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Germany's two major parties, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), are closer to form a grand coalition after talks between the CDU and the Green Party failed on Friday.

    German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's challenger Angela Merkel,leader of the CDU and its sister party Christian Social Union (CSU),said there were no plans for further talks with the Greens.

    Merkel stressed that a second round of talks with Schroeder's SPD is scheduled to take place next week.

    The two biggest parties held their first meeting on Thursday, but still claimed their mandate to form a new government.

    Speaking of her talks with the Greens, Merkel said, "There was of course great difficulty in finding areas of agreement. We do not foresee another round of talks for the moment."

    "This does not mean that the talks were not honest, open and peaceful and that all doors are closed forever," she added.

    Reinhardt Buetikofer, leader of the Greens, said the two parties have "extremely great differences."

    Following their first meeting on Wednesday, Buetikofer indicated that the Green Party, which is a ruling coalition partner of the SPD, were ready to go into opposition.

    In another development on Friday, the Left Party, which got 54 parliament seats in Sunday's election, elected Gregor Gysi and former SPD leader Oskar Lafontaine to be the co-parliamentary chief of the party.

    Neither the SPD nor the CDU/CSU won a majority in the election needed to set up a new government. Both Schroeder and Merkel claimthey are mandated to be the new chancellor. Enditem