Jamaica not keen on the "Jamaica coalition"

The stalemated election in Germany, and the subsequent efforts to build a governing coalition, have resulted in the press dubbing one possible grouping of parties the "Jamaica Coalition". This is based on the fact that the party colours of the members of that proposed coalition--the Christian Democrats, the Free Democrats, and the Greens--match the black, yellow and green colours of the Jamaican flag.

It seems that the Jamaican government is not necessarily flattered by the reference.

"Caricatures of Merkel and the other party leaders in dreadlocks have been cropping up in newspapers and on television, and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer made an offhand remark about reggae music and marijuana joints in expressing his opposition to the idea.

"The Jamaican Embassy issued a statement cautioning news media about 'trivializing' good relations between the two countries."