FRENCH PUBLIC SECTOR TO GET FIVE BILLION FRANCS
The French public sector will get a total
of five billion francs of investment from the 41 billion francs
which the government expects to raise through its privatisation
program, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.
    Prime Minister Jacques Chirac said in a televised interview
on Wednesday the successful program would net the government 10
billion francs, more than the 30 billion orignally estimated.
    Around 75 pct of the additional revenue will be used to cut
state debt and 25 pct for public sector investment.
    Of this investment envelope, a total of 800,000 francs will
go towards industrial modernisation, especially of the chemical
sector and and a further 800,000 francs for high-tech
industries such as the aeronautical and electronic sectors, the
Finance Ministry said.
    France's state railways, the SNCF, will receive 1.4 billion
francs to speed up financing of the high-speed TGV rail link to
the Atlantic coast.
    A total of two billion francs will go towards improving
motorways around the country, the ministry said.
 REUTER
