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Schroeder's PR venture draws European ire(UPI Business News Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder wants his supervisors at the Kremlin to fund a public relations venture in Western Europe. The left-wing Schroeder, whose re-election defeat was followed almost immediately by the chairmanship of the Kremlin-controlled North European Gas Pipeline, is believed to have pushed the idea this week during a Moscow visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kommersant reported Tuesday. News that Schroeder, who is widely believed to have used his chancellorship to lobby for the lucrative pipeline position, wants Kremlin funding for a German-based PR campaign was met with criticism in Europe. Klaus Mangold, a DaimlerChrysler board member and chairman of the German East-West Trade Committee, said he disapproved of any such venture being funded by Russia. Even before this week's PR initiative was revealed, Schroeder was being criticized for how quickly he got a job after leaving politics. For his part, Schroeder is threatening to sue leader of Germany's Free Democratic Party of Germany because of his steady criticism of that issue. Meanwhile, officials in Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia continue to denounce the pipeline as a prelude to commodity black mail by Moscow. |