Tuesday, April 29, 2014

France meets Alstom bidders with pledge to protect jobs

General Electric Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt and Clara Gaymard, the head of GE France, arrive for a meeting to discuss the future of French engineering group Alstom at the Elysee Palace in Paris By Natalie Huet and Benjamin Mallet PARIS (Reuters) - France said it would defend jobs and its national interest as it met suitors eyeing a breakup of engineering group Alstom on Monday and suggested it preferred Germany's Siemens over U.S. giant General Electric. President Francois Hollande held talks with GE boss Jeff Immelt on Monday morning and sat down later with Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser to discuss the fate of Alstom, the maker of the country's prestigious TGV high-speed trains and turbines for power plants. "We won't let Alstom sell this national champion behind the back of its shareholders, its employees and the French government," Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg wrote on his official Twitter account before the meetings started, accusing Alstom's CEO Patrick Kron of "a breach of national ethics". Alstom, which is battling with big debts and falling demand, was bailed out by the French government in 2004 but now needs help again.








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