Fiat chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo called on Wednesday on EU governments to support their auto industries to ensure they remain competitive with US automakers.

`If the US government becomes GM`s (General Motors`) principal stockholder, Europe cannot stand idly by,` Montezemolo said in an interview published by the daily La Repubblica.

Fiat chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo called on Wednesday on EU governments to support their auto industries to ensure they remain competitive with US automakers.

`If the US government becomes GM`s (General Motors`) principal stockholder, Europe cannot stand idly by,` Montezemolo said in an interview published by the daily La Repubblica.

Calls grew Sunday for Berlin to do much more to help Germany`s entire auto industry a day ahead of a crisis meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and desperate executives from cash-strapped Opel.

Signs grew Sunday that Berlin may do more to help Germany`s entire industry a day ahead of a crisis meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and executives from cash-strapped Opel.

PARIS, Sept 28, 2007 (AFP) - France's public debt rose to approximately 66.6 percent of gross domestic product in the second quarter from 65.4 percent in the first quarter, official data said Friday.

The second-quarter debt stood at 1,216.4 billion euros (1,724.04 billion dollars), the INSEE statistics institute said.

President Nicolas Sarkozy's government on Wednesday unveiled a first budget since taking office that shied away from attacking France's huge deficit despite warnings that the state was bankrupt.

BAMAKO, Sept 23, 2007 (AFP) - Algeria and Mali released Sunday 1.15 billion CFA francs (1.75 million euros, 2.4 million dollars) in development aid for northern Mali as part of a peace deal struck with Tuareg rebels active in the area.

The money 'is the first instalment of funds, aimed at financing small projects for youth rehabilitation' in the Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal regions, officials monitoring the implementation of last year's Algiers agreement said.

PARIS, July 30, 2007 (AFP) - The United States welcomed Monday an international agreement governing government financing of aircraft exports, saying it will 'level the playing field for the US airline industry.'

Members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and Brazil signed the agreement on aircraft export credits, the Paris-based OECD announced earlier Monday.

PARIS, July 30, 2007 (AFP) - Brazil has joined OECD members and other industrialised countries in signing a landmark agreement on aircraft export credits, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said Monday.

'The agreement, covering all types of civil aircraft, from jumbo jets to small planes and helicopters, concerns the interest rates, loan guarantees and other conditions applied to export credits for aircraft sales,' a statement said.