BERLIN, August 25. /TASS/. The German government has failed to reach a consensus on a bill put forward by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (Social Democratic Party of Germany) on a new form of military service.

According to Die Welt, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) didn't give his stamp of approval to the document in the form Pistorius proposed it in at the end of last week.

The foreign minister wants clarification on how many people are to be recruited into the army per year.

The government planned to discuss the bill on August 27. Since decisions in the cabinet require a consensus, now its discussion is likely to be removed from the agenda until a compromise is reached. Wadephul in essence vetoed the bill.

Die Welt said that the CDU/CSU bloc has recently repeatedly criticized Pistorius' document, insisting on adding a clause on the conditions under which military service can be returned. During the coalition negotiations, the Social Democrats blocked the Conservatives' proposal for mandatory conscription, insisting that service should be voluntary. The CDU/CSU, however, believes that Bundeswehr targets can not be reached on a voluntary basis.

According to the paper, with the Pistorius bill looking like a flop, the ruling coalition could face further divisions.

Compulsory military conscription in Germany was abolished in July 2011, after which the country started its transition to a professional army. Today, about 183,000 people serve in Bundeswehr.