German airline group Lufthansa on Friday said its goal was to take over Italian carrier ITA Airways in full, but it could not be forced to do so, after it announced it was taking on a minority stake on Thursday.

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr added that the German group had to be sure they didn't overpay for the financially troubled Italian airline. (Reporting by Joanna Plucinska and Klaus Lauer; Editing by Hugh Lawson)