France stepped up its protests to the United States on Tuesday over a possible $10 billion-plus sanctions busting fine for its biggest bank BNP Paribas, saying such a move could hurt transatlantic free-trade talks. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius' warning came two days before French President Francois Hollande hosts President Barack Obama for talks fraught with other sources of possible tension - from General Electric Co's overtures to emblematic French engineering group Alstom to differences over Syria and sanctions on Russia. Until now, Hollande's senior ministers have shied away from commenting on BNP's negotiations with U.S. authorities, who are investigating whether the lender evaded U.S. sanctions relating primarily to Sudan, Iran and Syria between 2002 and 2009. But Fabius, whose portfolio includes trade issues, noted the case came just as Washington and the European Union are negotiating a free-trade pact sought after by Obama, and that it would send the wrong signal if
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