NEW YORK: Microsoft Corp. could benefit from the election of George Bush as
US president, as the former Texas governor has indicated he is not in full
agreement with the US Justice Department's decision to break up the software
giant, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
"I stand on the side of innovation, not litigation," the paper
quoted Bush as saying last spring. Bush is troubled by the court decision to
break the company in two, the paper said.
Bush aides have said there is no decision on how to handle the case yet, but
the attorney general-designate, Senator John Ashcroft of Missouri, has not taken
a firm stand on the matter, the paper added.
"The signs are that (the case) isn't the kind of thing (Ashcroft) would
be enthusiastic about," the paper quoted a senior Clinton administration
official as saying.
Microsoft shares closed up $3 at $46-7/16 in Friday trading on the Nasdaq,
below their 52-week high of $119-15/16 and above their yearly low of $40-1/4.
(C) Reuters Limited 2000.