KEPT OUT OF TALKS

The German Interior Minister, Thomas de Maiziere, has excluded the Islam Council from the next round of talks, saying it is dominated by militant Turkish nationalists. The next round of integration talks between the government and representatives of Muslim communities, scheduled for May 17, will now take place without the participation of the Islam Council. In a statement, the leadership of the Islam Council rejected the suspension, and said the Council would withdraw from the talks altogether. The German interior minister announced that a number of new participants would be invited to the integration talks, which are being held under the title “German-Islam Conference.” The talks began in 2006, with the aim of improving the integration of Germany’s estimated 4 million Muslims into mainstream society.