Berlin regrets GM indecision on Opel: Report

BERLIN: Germany's economy minister said Saturday he regretted that General Motors' board had failed to take a decision on a deal covering European operations, including ailing German unit Opel, a report said.

An association representing Opel dealers also expressed disappointment at the lack of a decision at GM's board meeting on Friday.

"I regret that the board has not after all taken a decision," Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was quoted as saying by the online edition of the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper.

The German government had "provided GM with all the necessary information", the minister added.

A statement from the European Opel/Vauxhall Dealer Association Euroda, said it was "disappointed to learn that... no decision has been taken yet to officially select the winning bidder for Opel".

"It's really time now for this matter to be finalised, in the interest of all concerned and especially the dealers and their employees, prospects and buyers and in fact every one involved with Opel," said Euroda chairman Jaap Timmer.

They expected a decision before the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, which starts September 15, and certainly before the September 27 German general election, Timmer added.

Euroda, which represents 4,000 dealers, favours the bid from Magna International a Canadian auto parts manufacturer backed by state-owned Russian bank Sberbank - as does the German government.

GM, however, prefers a rival bid from Brussels-based investment group RHJ International.

The board of the 100-year-old company, once the world's largest automaker, met on Friday in Detroit but later said in a statement that the meeting ended without any decision being taken.

GM emerged from bankruptcy in July after wiping out 47 billion dollars in debt in a restructuring that left it majority-owned by the US government.