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TEHRAN, March 19 - Germany's government is rejecting the idea that former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder should face sanctions over his links to Russian business and to President Vladimir Putin.
TEHRAN,Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Schroeder was close to Putin as chancellor and became involved with a Russian-German gas pipeline project shortly after leaving office in 2005. Last year he was named chairman of Russian state oil giant Rosneft, drawing criticism from Chancellor Angela Merkel.
A Wall Street Journal article Saturday questioned why Schroeder hasn't been targeted by sanctions. On Monday, Germany's Bild daily quoted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin as saying: "Schroeder is the most important lobbyist for Putin worldwide. So it should be examined how the EU can act here."
Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert said Monday: "The German government and chancellor see no reason to consider such things."
Source: AP
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