Italy seeks Malta's support for 2015 World Expo bid

Italy is seeking Malta's support for its bid to organise the 2015 World Expo in Milan.

The issue was discussed during a meeting between Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, Italian Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Vittorio Craxi and Milan's mayor, Letizia Moratti, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Valletta.

Milan and the Turkish city of Izmir are the two official candidates bidding to host the World Expo in 2015. Voting to select the 2015 host city will be held during the General Assembly of the International Bureau of Exhibitions in early 2008.

Milan's theme for the Expo is: Feeding The Planet, Energy For Life.

Ms Moratti invited Dr Frendo to be guest speaker at a conference on trade and development to be held in Milan in May, which will tackle issues related to sustainable development.

Dr Frendo said he will consider leading a trade delegation to Milan during his visit to explore the possibilities of investment and joint ventures between businessmen from both countries.

During the meeting Dr Frendo and Mr Craxi also discussed other bilateral issues between Malta and Italy.

One of the possibilities discussed was for the Caravaggio exhibition La Mostra Impossibile to visit Malta in collaboration with the Caravaggio Foundation of Malta.

Mr Craxi, son of the late former Italian Prime Minister and leader of the Italian Socialist Party Bettino Craxi, founded the New Italian Socialist Party in 2001 and was elected to Parliament as part of Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right House of Freedom coalition.

However, he left the party in 2006 and formed a party called The Socialists which joined Romano Prodi's centre-left Union coalition.

In the 2006 election The Socialists failed to get any MPs elected to Parliament and Mr Craxi was appointed Under-Secretary at the Foreign Ministry by the new Prodi government.

Ms Moratti was Education Minister during the 2001-2006 centre-right Berlusconi government. Last year she was elected Milan's first female mayor with 52 per cent of the vote.