Government to study Mittal bid

The Federal Prime Minister and his colleagues from Belgium's two biggest regions are more cautious. Mr. Verhofstadt told journalists that he and his colleagues would look at the bid in a rational and business like fashion.

The Head of Mittal Steel Lakshmi Mittal is due to meet Mr. Verhofstadt, next Monday. The federal and regional government leaders have said that the interests of Arcelor's workforce will be at the heart of any decision made on Mittal's bid.

If the Indians take over Arcelor, the Belgian federal and regional authorities would expect them to respect current production and investment commitments.

Lakshmi Mittal in Brussels

The Head of Mittal Steel Lakshmi Mittal arrived in Brussels on Wednesday. He once again told journalists that his intentions were good and that he was optimistic about his company's take over bid for Arcelor.

He added that Mittal Steel would respect Arcelor's current commitments on employment, investment and growth. However, he would not go into detail when asked specifically about Arcelor's Belgian plants.

Mr. Mittal said he was "disappointed" by the attitude of the French and Luxembourg governments, but he still had "every confidence" that the bid would succeed.

Mittal then met with the European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes. The European Commission has said that it will look into Mittal's bid for Arcelor, in order to ascertain whether or not it could have a negative effect on competition.