France ‘extremely vigilant’ on Renault

Macron vows to maintain alliance with Nissan

BRUSSELS, Nov 19, (AFP): President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said France would be extremely vigilant about the fate of Renault and its alliance with Nissan after the arrest of the French auto group’s boss Carlos Ghosn in Japan.

Macron, speaking at a news conference in Brussels with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel at the start of a two-day state visit said: “It is too early to comment on the facts.”

But he went on to add that the French state, as a Renault shareholder, “will be extremely vigilant as to the stability of the alliance and the group.”

Ghosn, one of the world’s bestknown businessmen, was reportedly under arrest in Japan on Monday in a shocking fall from grace linked to allegations of financial misconduct.

Japanese media said Ghosn had been arrested after questioning by prosecutors for various improprieties including under-reporting his income.

The news rocked the auto industry, where Ghosn is a towering figure credited with turning around several major manufacturers and who leads an alliance of Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi.

Macron said his government would give “all its support” to employees of Renault, one of France’s most emblematic companies.

His state visit is the first to Belgium by a French leader since 1971 despite several stops in Brussels every year for EU summits.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday Macron will visit a tech hub in the Brussels district of Molenbeek, home to many of the Islamic State jihadists who carried out the 2015 Paris attacks.

It was in Molenbeek that top Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam was arrested in spectacular fashion in March 2016, near his family home, and Macron’s visit has been portrayed as part of the district’s efforts to revive its reputation.