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CDU leader Friedrich Merz
Photo: Fabian Sommer / dpa
Unlike originally planned, US Senator Lindsey Graham does not want to meet CDU chairman Friedrich Merz during his visit to Germany.
The day before, Merz had canceled his participation in a joint event with Republican Graham.
The right-wing conservative publicist Henryk M. Broder and the lawyer Joachim Steinhöfel, who represented the AfD in the party exclusion proceedings against the member of the state parliament Andreas Kalbitz, were also invited to the round.
The CDU chairman was not aware of the further occupation of the discussion round, it said.
"Participation has been canceled due to the changed program," wrote Merz's spokesman on Twitter.
However, Merz still wanted to meet privately with Graham.
According to the report, the US politician has now rejected this plan.
"Conservatives are about open, honest dialogue, where points are made and people sit down and listen to each other," Graham said.
Conservatives would "not cancel each other before they speak."
Graham's cancellation of the meeting was confirmed to SPIEGEL from CDU circles, first reported by the "Bild" newspaper.
Lindsey Graham herself is considered a supporter of former US President Donald Trump.
After the 2020 presidential election, Graham is said to have tried in the background to have postal votes disqualified in Georgia in order to decide the tight race in the US state in favor of Trump.
Karin Prien, CDU Minister of Education in Schleswig-Holstein, described Graham's decision not to meet with Merz as a "mistake" on Twitter.
“It is important that conservatives around the world, namely from the USA and Europe, remain in dialogue.” However, differentiation from reactionaries and right-wing radicals is equally necessary.
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