Securing jobs at General Motors Corp.'s (GM) German Opel unit locations will be the government's main aim if it decides to give the company any aid, a government spokesman said Monday.

Thomas Steg said it was clear that restructuring plans for Opel weren't sufficient for the government to make a final decision. "This plan is still incomplete and requires a fleshing out," Steg told reporters.

"The federal government's aim is clear: to secure jobs at the Opel plants permanently. And this goal is unanimously backed within the federal government," he said.

"I want to make very clear: A decision of the federal government regarding the future of Opel and possible help for Opel, such a decision will take some weeks," he added.

GM Europe Chief Executive Carl-Peter Forster last week presented the company's restructuring plan for Opel to the government and said GM Europe needs EUR3.3 billion in aid across Europe. GM posted a total 2008 loss of $30.9 billion.

German politicians are under pressure from labor unions to bail out Opel, GM's largest European brand, to help save the company's 25,000 jobs - a figure which more than doubles when including parts suppliers and other Opel-linked companies.

Web sites: www.bundesregierung.de; www.gm.co

-By Andrea Thomas, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 (0)30 - 2888 410; andrea.thomas@dowjones.com