Aerospatiale view

FRENCH FINANCE Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn said yesterday his Socialist-led government had no qualms about Aerospatiale being partially privatised to join a European defence group capable of rivalling Boeing.

"We have to save the European aeronautics industry," he said. "To do that we have to unite the Germans, the British and the French, and if uniting them means we can no longer have a company which is majority-controlled by the state, then this is the way to go."