- Title: Macron replaces army chief who quit in row over budget cuts
- Date: 19th July 2017
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 19, 2017) (REUTERS) ENTRANCE OF ELYSEE PALACE PERSONNEL INSIDE ELYSEE FRENCH PRIME MINISTER, EDOUARD PHILIPPE, LEAVING MINISTERS PERSONNEL WAITING IN ELYSEE COURTYARD FRENCH ARMIES MINISTER, FLORENCE PARLY, LEAVING FRENCH GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN, CHRISTOPHE CASTANER, LEAVING CASTANER DURING NEWS BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN, CHRISTOPHE CASTANER, SAYING: "He (Pierre de Villiers) said the army model we have today did not suit him. So I think we need to put things in their place: there is on these matters a divergent strategic understanding, as it was said in his press release this morning, with the president of the republic, commander-in-chief. He took action, he decided to draw consequences out of that, the president took action and replaced him." JOURNALIST DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN, CHRISTOPHE CASTANER, SAYING: "In this situation, the president of the republic reaffirmed his commitment on the progressive increase of the budget of the armies, up to 2 percent of the GDP in 2025, and in 2018, a first significant step and an unprecedented step, since several years in France, for the budget of our armies." JOURNALIST DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN, CHRISTOPHE CASTANER, SAYING: "General Lecointre (newly-appointed army chief) is a hero, a renowned hero in the army, a hero who knows how to fight, who freed French soldiers especially in 1995 during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina where our armed forces were mobilised."
- 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: LVA0016QDVO07
- 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: REUTERS
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