"Although the business case looks viable, the negative attitude of the French government has influenced Novartis' consideration to a point that it will only enter into a negotiation phase if formally invited by the Aventis supervisory board and if the French government assumed a neutralposition, " Novartis wrote in a statement.
The former president also said respected Republican lawyers had advocated the pardon, and that he understood the position of the Deputy Attorney General to be "neutral, leaning for".