The leader of Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU), Markus Soeder, said on Sunday for the first time he is willing to run as the conservative bloc's candidate for German chancellor in a September election, participants in a party meeting with him told Reuters.
"If the CDU were willing to support me, I would be ready," he said, according to the participants.
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Paul Carrel)
