Referencing the wars which ravaged the region in the 1990s, she added: “I do not want military conflicts to become necessary there again”.

Mr Gabriel said that strife between the conservative parties was creating even more uncertainty in Germany as fears grow that the country can not cope with the new arrivals.

With Bavaria bearing the brunt of refugees arriving in Germany an agreement was reached with Austria on Saturday to restrict the number of migrants allowed to cross the border to 50 per hour.

GETTYMigrants return to the shore of Cesme in Turkey after winds halted their journey to Greece

Looking glum, SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel left the chancellery after the 2-hour meeting with Merkel and Horst Seehofer, leader of the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU).

Merkel met a group of human rights lawyers, writers and bloggers at the German Embassy in Beijing on Thursday evening, a government official said on the condition of anonymity because the meetings were private.

Bavaria is the main German entry point for migrants, and Seehofer had previously threatened self-defence measures if the federal government did not take steps to limit the influx at the state’s border with Austria.

The positive tone from a rival party member, together with a public show of support from business leaders, suggests Merkel may be regaining control over the domestic political drift in Germany after weeks of sniping that put her chancellorship in question.

“I am pretty sure we can achieve that”, said the Chancellor. But it does advocate “transit zones” near the country’s borders to weed out those with no realistic asylum claim, and curbing relatives from joining a few asylum-seekers.

The key point of contention has been so-called transit zones at Europe’s borders – proposed border holding camps which supporters say could be used to process asylum seekers more efficiently, while opponents say they would effectively be giant prisons.

“We’re experiencing something we’ve never experienced before, that conflicts that appear to be far away, suddenly are here on our doorstep”, Merkel told the meeting.

Merkel also said that, as the largest state in the European Union, it was Germany’s responsibility to find a solution to the refugee crisis.

On Saturday, the AfD staged a mass rally in Berlin with activists holding anti-government banners calling to “stop Merkel, save Germany“.