German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday in Chile that she believes Britain will remain in the European Union despite recent comments by British Prime Minister David Cameron promising a referendum on leaving the bloc, DPA reported.
"I can reassure: David Cameron and Britain remain a part of the European Union," Merkel said in Santiago, where she is attending a summit of European and Latin American nations.
She said that, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Cameron told her that he plans to work to have Britain remain within the EU. He recently announced plans to call, if re-elected, a referendum on his country's EU membership by 2017.
"We can discuss changes. We will do so in a friendly way. However, in Europe, one must always eventually reach a compromise," Merkel said when answering reporters' questions alongside Chilean President Sebastian Pinera.