Schroeder denies he wants to do PR for Russia

BERLIN, Mar 28 (Reuters) Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder today denied he had offered to help set up a lobby firm to improve Russia's image, saying instead he had floated the idea of a think-tank to improve ties between the countries.

He was responding to a report in Russian newspaper Kommersant which said the ex-German leader would set out plans for a lobby firm to boost Russia's image in the West at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow this week.

''I never proposed the creation of a PR firm or advertising agency,'' Schroeder said in a statement. ''We are talking about the establishment of a German-Russian think tank that would examine ways to improve relations as part of a joint strategic partnership.'' Schroeder, who developed a close personal relationship with Putin while in office, has come under fire in Germany for establishing business ties with Russia soon after he was replaced by Angela Merkel last November.

In December, the former German leader said he was becoming chairman of a consortium led by Russian gas giant Gazprom, which is building a controversial 6 billion dollars gas export pipeline under the Baltic Sea.

Leading German politicians from across the political spectrum criticised Schroeder for accepting the Gazprom job so soon after leaving office.

In the statement, Schroeder said his intention was to deepen German-Russian relations and ensure the two countries understood each other better and learned from each other.

Since coming into office, Merkel has reaffirmed the importance of ties with Russia, but unlike Schroeder she has shown a willingness to challenge Putin on issues like human rights and press freedoms.

Reuters SHR RS2119