Germany: Merkel talks Syrian conflict and refugee crisis at CDU 'Future Conference'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed members of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party during the so-called 'Conference of the future' (Zukunftskonferenz) in Darmstadt in the western German state of Hesse, Monday. "I am happy that the first steps have been taken in the Syrian conflict settlement, that all sides from USA to Russia, from Saudi Arabia to Iran at least took a seat at the negotiating table and started talking with each other and agreed to meet once again in order to stop this horrible civil war," she said. According to Merkel, "In Latakia alone, where Russia carried out its airstrikes, there are hundred of thousands new refugees looking for asylum." She went on to say that "In Aleppo where strikes are currently being conducted, we have 120,000 new refugees only during the last week," adding that "that means that there are five million Syrian refugees outside Syria and seven million refugees inside the country."