Qatar says premature to talk about EADS stake

Qatar said on Friday it was premature to talk about the Gulf emirate buying a stake in Airbus parent EADS.

Shares in the European aerospace group rose last month after the state-owned Qatar Investment Authority said it was in talks to buy a stake.

"It is indeed premature to talk about it," First Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani told reporters during a visit to Paris.

"We are talking about it in a general manner but not in a specific manner," he added after meeting his French counterpart.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy also said it was too early to talk about shareholding ties.

"But it is clear that those who want to invest, and in particular the friends of Airbus, are completely free to do so on condition that all shareholders agree."

The French government owns 15% of EADS alongside two core industrial shareholders - French media group Lagardere which owns 7.5%, and German car firm DaimlerChrysler which has voting rights for 22.5%.

Qatar Airways is a major customer of Airbus, which announced plans to slash 10,000 jobs in a restructuring this week.

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