Belgium solicits Kuwait''s support for organizing int''l fair 

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) A visiting Belgian official discussed on Sunday with Ali Al-Ghanem, Chairman of Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry, nomination of his country for organizing the international fair, Expo Yeosu 2012, aspired to be held in the city of Liege in 2017.

Michael Hansen, an ex-minister and former director general of the International Labor Organization (ILO), confirmed in a statement at headquarters of the chamber that his visit to the country was aimed at promoting the nomination of Belgium for organizing the event. The International Fairs Agency is scheduled to choose the country and city that would host the exhibition.

Belgium is soliciting Kuwait's backing for its candidacy to host the exhibition, he said, hinting that his nation's aspiration for rallying such support was in line with its keenness on employing modern technology for improving living standards of nations of the globe, Hansen said.

He added that his country held talks with the International Communication Association and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to include the exhibition in agenda of the World Summit on the Information Society.

For his part, Al-Ghanem affirmed the chamber's keenness on helping the Belgians attain this purpose and expressed readiness to host more envoys for sake of coordination as a prelude to the event.

Hansen is renowned -- and particularly well known among Kuwaitis -- for standing alongside the Gulf state vis-a-vis the 1990 Iraqi aggression. He visited the country in May 1991, a few days ahead of the ILO conference, and prepared a long report about extensive damage he had witnessed in the country and submitted it to the international convention, drawing support of the conferees for Kuwait.