HIGHLIGHTS-Comments about Brexit during business conference in France

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France, July 2 (Reuters) - French and international policymakers, business leaders and academics are gathered in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence for an annual three-day conference to discuss global economic issues.

Below are key comments on the consequences of Britain's referendum vote to leave the European Union.

FRENCH FINANCE MINISTER MICHEL SAPIN (ON JULY 1):

"We shouldn't adopt a 'divide the spoils' attitude. I think that would be totally improper and harmful. We should respect the British vote."

"We can give support to some companies, but we're not trying to get in contact with such-and-such and tell them 'leave Britain, come here'. If they must do it, they will do it on their own."

FRENCH DEFENCE MINISTER JEAN-YVES LE DRIAN (JULY 1):

"Brexit does not change in any way the extremely strong cooperation in the defence field between France and Britain."

"Probably one of the responses to Brexit will be to reinforce the European Union's defence policy."

"There should be a realisation, in our relationship with countries such as Germany, but also Italy and Spain, that we should make progress in terms of financing and operations."

RENAULT (LSE: 0NQF.L - news) -NISSAN CEO CARLOS GHOSN (JULY 2):

"The depreciation of the pound is bad news (for manufacturers without local factories like Renault)."

"As far as Nissan is concerned, it has a very big factory, the largest assembly plant in England... There are roughly 8,000 employees. So of course all of a sudden you have a situation of uncertainty. And one is a little worried until things become clearer. They will become clear the day we know the new status of the UK in Europe."

TOTAL CEO PATRICK POUYANNE (JULY 2):

"At a micro-economic level we, Total (LSE: 524773.L - news) , are not involved in local businesses. We have a small bitumen business in the UK but because of the drop of the pound... costs are lower for us in dollars. So Total is covered, we're not losers."

"That doesn't mean that it's good news... This is one more element of instability and uncertainty. We're in a world that faces many difficulties, geopolitical ones with Daesh (ISIS) or Ukraine, repeated financial crises, and Brexit comes on top of that."

"The only message I want to send out is that we need to move quickly."

EURONEXT CEO STEPHANE BOUJNAH (JULY 2):

"Everyone will be cautious and assume that the European passport will not be maintained. And thus organise themselves to be close to the eurozone, closer to their clients, closer to the place where we can regulate and continue to do what we were previously doing from London."

"I think there will be several winners across Europe, big (financial) places like Amsterdam, Paris."

FRENCH BANKING FEDERATION CEO MARIE-ANNE BARBAT-LAYANI (JULY 2):

"The central issue is that of the European passport. Those who have one foot in London today to have reach throughout the European Union, will need to have a second foot somewhere else, so let's try to ensure that this second foot be in Paris."

"We need to act and it has already started. Local (Stuttgart: 19549987.SG - news) authorities are mobilised, the government too, and I hope it will be a even more so."

"(Banking) is a fundamental activity which will become more multi-polar, let's try ... and ensure that it happens here. Four French banks are among the largest European banks. It's an asset. We will go and we will win." (Reporting by Michel Rose; Writing by Sybille de La Hamaide; Editing by Helen Popper)