Merkel, Obama did not discuss Deutsche Bank in Thursday call - Berlin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Barack Obama did not discuss U.S. authorities' demands for Deutsche Bank to pay a fine of up to $14 billion (£10.80 billion) during a phone call on Thursday, a German spokeswoman said on Friday. "The conversation with Obama concerned Ukraine and Syria, and was not about other issues," the spokeswoman told a regular government news conference in Berlin when asked whether the U.S. demand was raised during the phone call. A Finance Ministry spokesman said: "We are making no comment whatsoever on any speculation about Deutsche Bank." The German government this week denied a newspaper report that it was working on a rescue plan for the bank whose problems are sending tremors through global markets. (Reporting by Paul Carrel and Michael Nienaber)