France welcomed on Friday an agreement by the United States and the EU to suspend tariffs against the planemakers Airbus and Boeing over state subsidies, signalling a thaw in a years-long trade battle. The deal "is a first step in a de-escalation process," Trade Minister Franck Riester said in a statement. "We are now going to work with the Commission and our European partners over the next four months on new rules on public aid to the aeronautics sector, in line with our interests and without any naivety," he said. evs/aue/esp/js/lth