Finance Minister Herve Gaymard resigned Friday following criticism that he and his family were living in a luxury apartment in Paris at taxpayer expense. The French government quickly nominated a replacement, Thierry Breton, the 50-year-old head of the telecommunications giant France Telecom. A close ally of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Chirac, Breton has largely been credited with turning around the fortunes of France Telecom since he took the company,s helm in October 2002. At that time, France Telecom had debts of some 70 billion euros (92.4 billion dollars). Before taking over at France Telecom, Breton was head of Thomson S.A., where he still presides over the board of directors. Gaymard resigned Friday after less than three months at the post. "I am aware that I have committed some blunders, and first of all the mistake of not taking sufficiently serious the conditions for my official residence," the 44-year-old Gaymard said in announcing he was stepping down. --More 2346 Local Time 2046 GMT
