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Germany condemns Russian deal with South Ossetia as threat to Georgia


    BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government on Friday condemned Russia's new treaty with Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia region, saying it posed a threat to Georgian sovereignty and would reinforce Tbilisi's fears that Moscow was intent on annexing the territory.

    "With this treaty Russia is once again casting doubt on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia," said German government spokeswoman Christiane Wirtz.

    "Moscow is thus impeding ongoing efforts for a peaceful end to the conflict with Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the framework of the Geneva talks," she said, adding that the treaty reinforced Georgia's fears of "creeping annexation".

    (Reporting by Stephen Brown and Caroline Copley; Editing by Gareth Jones)