* German foreign minister raises pressure on Moscow
* Maas: Sanctions must be targeted and proportionate
* Says EU can't ignore violation of chemical weapons ban
(Adds Russian Foreign Ministry, reactions)
By Michael Nienaber
BERLIN, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Germany expects the European Union
to impose new sanctions against Russia over the poisoning of
opposition leader Alexei Navalny with an internationally banned
nerve agent, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Saturday.
Navalny emerged from a coma in early September after
suddenly falling ill during a flight in Siberia on Aug. 20 and
later being airlifted to Berlin for treatment. German doctors
say he was poisoned with Novichok, a Russian nerve agent.
Germany, France and other Western countries have demanded an
explanation from the Kremlin for Navalny's illness. Russia says
it has seen no firm evidence he was poisoned and denies
involvement in any attack on him.
"I am convinced that there will be no longer any way around
sanctions," Maas told news portal t-online in an interview.
"Sanctions must always be targeted and proportionate. But
such a grave violation of the International Chemical Weapons
Convention cannot be left unanswered. On this, we're united in
Europe," Maas added.
Germany currently holds the rotating presidency of the
27-member bloc. EU leaders will discuss their reaction and
possible sanctions against Russia at their next summit on Oct.
15-16.
"If the result of the German, Swedish and French
laboratories is confirmed, there will be a clear response from
the EU. I'm sure about that," Maas said.
Germany has sent samples taken from the Russian opposition
politician to the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical
Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague for additional tests in their labs.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday the German
Foreign Ministry had sent its embassy in Berlin a refusal in
response to an embassy request to have access to Navalny.
It also called on those who inspire a "campaign of
demonizing Russia" to stop.
A German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman pointed to earlier
remarks from a ministry spokeswoman, saying Berlin had forwarded
the Russian request for consular access to Navalny and that they
had informed the Russian Embassy about this step on Sept 23.
But it was up to Navalny himself whether he wanted to be
visited by Russian officials or not, the spokeswoman added.
The Navalny case has worsened relations between Moscow and a
number of Western countries. Germany has faced calls to halt the
nearly-completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is meant to bring
more Russian gas directly to Germany.
Asked if European sanctions against Russia should include
Nord Stream 2, Maas said there were more than 100 European
companies involved in the project, half of them in Germany.
"So many European workers would suffer from a construction
freeze," Maas said.
Nord Stream 2 is led by Russia's state gas giant Gazprom
, with half of the funding provided by Germany's Uniper
and BASF's Wintershall unit, Anglo-Dutch
company Shell, Austria's OMV and France's
Engie.
(Reporting by Michael Nienaber
Additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova in Moscow
Editing by Louise Heavens and Frances Kerry)
