SPECULATION is rife in Germany that outgoing chancellor Gerhard Schroeder may be offered a high-paying job by his close friend, Russian President Vladimir Putin....theage.com.au - October 13, 2005Bela Anda, Mr Schroeder's spokesman, denied the rumours outright. Germany's biggest-selling paper Bild carried the story, as did the Moscow Echo.
Mr Schroeder paid a short visit to Mr Putin last Friday. Ms Anda called such rumours "groundless speculation" but there is intense speculation about what a man who likes the high life, £5000 ($A11,600) Brioni suits, Kristal champagne and Cohiba Havana cigars will do with the rest of his life.
After days of silence former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has fired back at critics demanding from him to give up his new job at a German-Russian pipeline project.UPI (via spacedaily.com) - Dec 13, 2005"Politicians and the media have spread much nonsense recently," Schroeder told Tuesday's Sueddeutsche Zeitung, a Munich-based daily. "I am only 61 years old; I want to work and not stay at home and get on my wife's nerves."