PARIS, Dec 16 (AFP) - Spain's northeastern city of Zaragoza was selected Thursday to host the 2008 Expo on the theme of water and the sustainable development of cities, International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) said.
Zaragoza beat out Italy's Trieste and Salonika in Greece to host the themed exposition staged between the general world expos, which are being held in Aichi, Japan next year and Shanghai in 2010.
Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega and Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos were present at the BIE meeting in Paris to lobby for Zaragoza.
Spain's national government has pledged to pick up 70 percent of the infrastructure costs to host the expo.
12/16/2004 18:59 GMT - AFP