French pres. vows to hold firm on pension reform

PARIS

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to press ahead with his contested overhaul of the country's pension system, despite a strike and massive protests that saw more than a million people take to the streets.

Sarkozy says it's "out of the question" to back down on the plan to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 under the reform.

The conservative French leader concedes the government is willing to negotiate on smaller points, including measures for people in physically difficult professions. His office reported his comments Wednesday, a day after the strike.

The government insists the raised retirement age is necessary so the money-draining pension system can break even by 2018.