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Germany's Schroeder says Georgia sparked fighting 16 Aug 2008 10:57:46 GMT
Source: Reuters
BERLIN, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder blamed Tbilisi on Saturday for sparking hostilities with Moscow and suggested its breakaway regions could not remain part of Georgia following the violent clashes of the past week.
In an interview with German weekly Der Spiegel, Schroeder also criticised the West for failures in its dealings with Russia and urged Europe to strengthen its ties with Moscow.
Schroeder developed a close relationship with then-Russian president Vladimir Putin during his 7 years as chancellor and he now chairs a German-Russian consortium that is building a major gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea.
"I don't believe Russia is pursuing a policy of annexation and I also don't believe that there will be a return to the previous status quo for South Ossetia and Abkhazia," Schroeder said, referring to the separatist Georgian regions. "That is out of the question."