Berlin, Muharram 19, 1435, Nov 22, 2013, SPA -- Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party on Friday invited Germany's left-of-centre, environmentalist Green Party to hold formal talks on forming a coalition to rule the central state of Hesse, dpa reported. In a state election on September 22, Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won just 47 of the 110 seats in the state assembly. The state's CDU premier, Volker Bouffier, has been in simultaneous exploratory talks for eight weeks with both Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens to form a coalition. His choice may upset the SPD, who are Merkel's favoured partner for a likely federal coalition. Merkel has no direct role in the state's politics. The Greens are expected to respond to the offer on Saturday. -- SPA 22:04 LOCAL TIME 19:04 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1170928