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German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Jacques Chirac have agreed to spread the pain of job cuts and restructuring at Airbus. Mr Chirac said there should be an "equitable distribution" of the measures needed to reorganize Airbus. He noted that any job losses or site closures had to entail compensation. The competitiveness of the company would be the most important factor in future planning, Chancellor Merkel said at a joint news conference. The German and French leaders spoke after a joint meeting with the management of the embattled planemaker near Berlin.