"French" solution better in any SocGen bid: Gueant

PARIS (Reuters) - Claude Gueant, the chief of staff of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, reiterated on Sunday that France preferred any bid for domestic bank Societe Generale (SOGN.PA) to be a French one rather than a foreign one.

"It would be better if it was French rather than foreign," Gueant told the "Grand Rendez-Vous" programme held jointly by Europe 1 radio station, TV 5 Monde and Le Parisien newspaper.

Gueant also repeated comments made earlier in an Sunday interview with Le Parisien that France preferred any bid for SocGen to be a "friendly" bid rather than a hostile one.

He added, however, that France would not have legal means to oppose any bid by a foreign bank and that SocGen could remain independent.

SocGen has been seen as a bid target since it revealed on January 24 4.9 billion euros ($7.28 billion) of losses which it has blamed on rogue trades caused by Jerome Kerviel, a 31-year old employee of the bank.

Kerviel is under investigation and faces possible charges.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta)