Bloomberg reported that French president Mr Francois Hollande presented options to ArcelorMittal CEO Mr LN Mittal to save jobs at Florange in north eastern France, not taking its nationalization off the table.
Mr Hollande, who met with Mr Mittal for an hour at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris, said in an E mailed statement that he asked Mr Mittal to pursue discussions with the government until the December 1 deadline given to the company to find a buyer.
The statement didn't say what options were discussed.
Mr Hollande had said at a press conference before his meeting with Mr Mittal "We want to ensure the continuing operation of the site. Its nationalization will be part of the discussions. That concerns only the site itself, of course, and not the whole group."
French Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg, who first raised the possibility of its nationalization, sparked a furor after he told Les Echos newspaper yesterday that "we don't want Mittal in France anymore." Montebourg accused the Indian CEO of going back on his word to protect jobs and said the company's Florange site should be under temporary state control.
