Airbus : EU says it wants subsidies deal with U.S. not tit-for-tat trade war

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Tuesday it wanted to agree a negotiated settlement with the United States over aircraft subsidies after the EU won the right to impose tariffs on U.S. imports at the World Trade Organization.

"I have made it clear that my strong preference is for a negotiated settlement with the U.S, avoiding harmful rounds of measures and countermeasures," Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said in a statement.

"Our suggestion is that the U.S. withdraws the tariffs they imposed as a consequence of the Airbus ruling. The EU will then refrain from exercising our retaliation rights," he continued.

(Reporting by Marine Strauss and Philip Blenkinsop)