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 <DBKGn.DE> to pay a fine of up to $14 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)