UPDATE:German Econ Min:Open Attitude To Fiat GM Europe Talks
04 Mai 2009 - 2:18PM
Dow Jones News
German Economics Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said Monday
he is entering talks with Fiat SpA's (F.MI) chief executive with a
"very open" attitude and hopes to hear more details on the
company's plans for General Motors Corp.'s (GM) German unit.
Speaking to reporters ahead of his meeting with Fiat Chief
Executive Sergio Marchionne, zu Guttenberg said: "I expect to get
more details than at the last meeting, when a very rough plan was
presented. I hope that the talks with General Motors have made more
progress."
"It is decisive whether they will be able to find an agreement
with General Motors," he added. "We are hoping to learn more
details on this."
He added that the government will stick to its criteria for
possible help for Opel.
The government has said it is considering possible state
guarantees for Opel, but is demanding a long-term, feasible plan
for the company.
The minister has already said he doesn't expect any deal from
Monday's meeting with Marchionne in Berlin, which Chancellor
Frank-Walter Steinmeier is also set to attend. Zu Guttenberg will
brief the press afterwards at around 1230 GMT.
Marchionne is aiming to rally support for his plan to seek a
potential merger between Fiat and GM's European operations,
including Opel and its U.K. unit Vauxhall.
Marchionne signed a partnership with Chrysler LLC in Washington
last week.
Austrian-Canadian auto parts maker Magna International Inc.
(MGA) is also interested in Opel.
Web site: www.bmwi.de
-By Andrea Thomas, Dow Jones Newswires; 49-30-288-8410; andrea.thomas@dowjones.com