The construction body British Expertise is to hold talks with the Lebanese government over UK firms obtaining reconstruction contracts after the conflict with Israel.

Delegates from British Expertise, formerly known as the British Consultants and Construction Bureau, will meet Lebanese officials at the end of this month. The delegation will be led by Graham Hand, the chief executive of British Expertise. He will be accompanied by David Brewer, the Lord Mayor of the City of London.

A British Expertise spokesperson said: 鈥淭he delegation has been timed to allow the dust to settle and for the authorities in Beirut to assess needs and take stock of the large pot of project finance that has been made available for the reconstruction process.鈥�

Meanwhile, US construction firm Bechtel announced it is pulling out of Iraq because of worries over security. Bechtel, which has been working on infrastructure projects for three years, said this week that it would no longer seek work in the country. Its last contract expired last week. Since 2003, 52 Bechtel employees have been killed and 49 wounded.