The French government and Germany's Siemens intervened in U.S. giant General Electric's plan to buy Alstom's power arm earlier on Sunday by offering an alternative tie-up between European "champions" and a pledge to act in France's national interest.

A spokesman for the president's office said the ministers' meeting was now over and that it planned to release another statement on the subject by Monday morning.

(Reporting by Natalie Huet; Editing by Andrew Callus)

Stocks treated in this article : ALSTOM, General Electric Company, Siemens AG
Valeurs citées dans l'article : ALSTOM, General Electric Company, Siemens AG, SIEMENS