Spain's Socialists are open to negotiating deals with rivals

MADRID (AP) - A senior Socialist official in Spain says her party is ready to negotiate deals with rival parties after it won a general election but failed to obtain a parliamentary majority.

Isabel Celaa, spokeswoman for the Socialist caretaker government, says her party is capable of running the country as a minority government. But she says Tuesday the Socialists "are open to talking to everybody" on certain topics that might smooth the government's work.

She says Spain "needs to build bridges" after a spell of political instability. She says her party "has plenty of experience of deal-making" and is ruling nothing out.

After capturing 123 seats in the 350-seat parliament in Sunday's ballot, the Socialists need to get the support of smaller rival parties to pass legislation.