German diesel deal must include hardware refits - environment ministry

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's environment ministry is sticking with its demand that any agreement on how to tackle pollution from diesel vehicles include hardware upgrades, a spokesman for the ministry said on Friday.

"Hardware retrofits must be part of solution. We have demanded hardware retrofits for a long time, now we are in constructive negotiations about that," the spokesman said during a regular government news conference.

The German government is due to hold a diesel summit at the German chancellery later on Friday, in which it will try to reach agreement on the issue.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan and Riham Alkousaa; editing by Thomas Seythal)