Macron replaces army chief who quit in budget cut row

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Europe

Updated at 7:35 p.m. BJT

General Francois Lecointre has been appointed as the new head of the French army, Reuters reported citing a military source on Wednesday.

Lecointre, a member of Prime Minister Edouard Philippe's staff who served in the army in Bosnia, will replace General Pierre de Villiers who resigned abruptly on Wednesday within 24 hours after a public dispute with President Emmanuel Macron over defense budget cuts.

Macron told ministers at a weekly cabinet meeting that he was still aiming to raise the defense budget to 2 percent of gross domestic product by 2025 despite cutbacks in 2017.

Updated at 3:56 p.m. BJT

In the statement, de Villiers said he had sought to maintain a French defense force able to do an increasingly difficult job within the financial constraints imposed on it.

"In the current circumstances I see myself as no longer able to guarantee the robust defense force I believe is necessary to guarantee the protection of France and the French people, today and tomorrow, and to sustain the aims of our country," he said.

He said that as a result he had tendered his resignation to Macron and that it had been accepted.

(With input from Reuters)

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