Of
Claus Hulverscheidt and Henrike Roßbach, Berlin/Washington
Christian Lindner’s face twitches briefly, then the finance minister’s mouth twists into a slightly tortured grin. “I know what’s coming now,” he says with a mock sigh – and yes, whatever happens when Lindner meets compatriots who work in the media at the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank this week in Washington. One wants to know how he intends to enforce against the Greens that the nuclear power plants that are still functioning remain connected to the grid during the energy crisis. Another asks whether the Liberals would offer the coalition partner a deal along the lines of: If you give up your red line in one place, I’ll give up mine elsewhere. Longer running times against the speed limit, so to speak.