BRUSSELS, Feb. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Belgium's federal and regional governments held a meeting on Thursday to discuss Mittal Steel's plans to take over the Europe's largest steel group Arcelor.

    Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt told local press that the government would first have to look into the terms and conditions of Mittal's bid, before establishing a position for or against the Indian company's plans.

    The Belgian government, which has a 2.3 percent stake in Arcelor, is calling on the services of an investment banker to provide it with more information on the bid.

    The Luxembourg Government, which is Arcelor's largest shareholder with a stake of 5.6 percent, has already said that it would stand by the French government and resist the so-called "hostile bid".

    However, Verhofstadt said that he and his colleagues would look at the bid in a rational and business like fashion. The Belgian prime minister said that the interests of Arcelor's workforce will be at the heart of any decision made on Mittal's bid.

    If the India-based Mittal Steel takes over Arcelor, the Belgian federal and regional authorities would expect them to respect current production and investment commitments.

    Lakshmi Mittal, the head of Mittal Steel, is due to meet Verhofstadt next Monday.

    Arcelor is the product of a three-way merger between Spain's Aceralia, France's Usinor and Luxembourg's Arbed. Enditem