BERLIN (MNI) – German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble wants to
step down if his health does not improve significantly after his current
stay in hospital, the German weekly Stern reported Wednesday, citing
people close to the Minister.
Last week, Schaeuble started four weeks of treatment for pressure
sores related to his confinement to a wheel chair. The 68-year old
minister already spent several weeks in hospital in spring due to the
same problems.
“If I realize after four weeks that nothing works anymore, I’ll
decide accordingly. Nobody will stop me from that,” Schaeuble told his
intimates, according to the magazine.
The minister had offered his resignation before entering the
hospital but was convinced by Chancellor Angela Merkel to stay in charge
during the treatment, Stern wrote.
Finance Ministry spokesman Michael Offer said the newspaper report
“is pure speculation on which we are not commenting.” The recovery of
the minister “is proceeding as planned,” he said.
–Berlin bureau: +49-30-22 62 05 80; email: twidder@marketnews.com
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