THE HAGUE, 16/11/06 - Former Media and Culture State Secretary Medy van der Laan is to chair Kosmopolis, the House of Cultural Dialogue.

The Rotterdam-based institute is to be set up on 24 November in the presence of Princess Maxima. It will be fully operational from January. Kosmopolis is intended to bring together different cultures in the Netherlands by means of theatre, music, the pictorial arts and debates.

A piquant detail is that Van der Laan herself set up the institute last year. Kosmopolis will work closely together with minority organisations domestically and abroad.