- Title: Macron replaces army chief who quit in row over budget cuts
- Date: 19th July 2017
- Summary: KOULIKORO, MALI (FILE - APRIL 10, 2013) (REUTERS) THEN-COMMANDER FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION TRAINING MISSION IN MALI, GENERAL FRANCOIS LECOINTRE, GREETING MALIAN SOLDIERS MALIAN SOLDIERS IN FORMATION
- Embargoed: 2nd August 2017 13:47
- Keywords: Macron Pierre de Villiers Francois Lecointre defence army budget cuts
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE/ KOULIKORO, MALI/ BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- City: PARIS, FRANCE/ KOULIKORO, MALI/ BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: France
- Topics: Defence,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0026QDVO07
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: French president Emmanuel Macron appointed General Francois Lecointre, a 55-year-old seasoned fighter renowned and respected in the military, as new chief of armed forces on Wednesday (July 19)
Macron named Lecointre for his operations knowledge and for his rather young age which will enable him to incarnate the defence renewal Macron has committed to, said government spokesman Christophe Castaner during a news briefing.
Macron also told ministers at a weekly cabinet meeting that he was still aiming to raise the defence budget to 2 percent of gross domestic product by 2025 despite cutbacks in 2017.
Former armed forces chief, Pierre de Villiers, quit on Wednesday morning in a row over short-term spending cuts. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: Audio restrictions: This clip's Audio includes copyrighted material. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing the audio contained in this clip.
