Germany's Greens Party, which snubbed a chance to govern in coalition with chancellor designate Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, showed no regrets Saturday at a national congress that ushers in four or more years of opposition, dpa reported. "For us, issues of political substance come ahead of issues of power," party co-chairman Reinhard Buetikofer told delegates at the conference in the northern German city of Oldenburg. Formerly a party of militant ecologists and pacifists, the Greens became pragmatic during seven years as federal coalition partners of outgoing Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats (SPD). Renate Kuenast, the retiring farm and food minister, who is to become parliamentary group leader in Berlin, told 750 delegates, "The Greens are not placing lonely-heart advertisements for a partner." Instead the party was committed to being a resolute opposition pushing radical alternatives, she said. Last month's German election left the Greens and SPD short of a majority. Merkel, as leader of the largest bloc, had the options of a "grand coalition" with the SPD, which is now at the negotiation stage, or a tie-up with the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP). --more 2235 Local Time 1935 GMT
