Governors disagree over flag impact on plant

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - Although Governor Barnes says DaimlerChrysler discussed the Confederate flag in talks about where to locate a new $750 million van plant, South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges&#39; office says the topic never came up. <br> <br> Barnes announced last week the company had selected a site near Savannah for the plant, passing over a site near Summerville, about 20 miles northwest of Charleston. <br> <br> In an article published Saturday in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said, ``There were discussions about the Confederate flag.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Barnes says executives from the German automaker were aware that the flag was ``an issue in South Carolina and that it was not an issue here.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Hodges&#39; spokesman Morton Brilliant says the company never broached the flag controversy in its negotiations with state officials. <br> <br> Brilliant told The (Charleston) Post and Courier - ``What came up in our talks was that DaimlerChrysler wanted cash up front without tying it to jobs, and we wouldn&#39;t do that.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> DaimlerChrysler spokesman Marc Binder was reached at the company&#39;s headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, Tuesday. He refused to comment on the reasons why Georgia was selected or whether the controversy over the Confederate flag was a factor in the choice. <br> <br> He says the company has not made a final decision on whether to build the plant at all.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/10/201835