BONN. Aug 7: Expo 2000. a world's fair to be held in Hanover. Germany, in the year 2000. could prove to be a money-loser, fair spokesman Michael Sasse said yesterday, reports AFP.

He said that "according to an audit made by the Rorland-berger firm, the result of Expo 2000 could range from a profit of 200 million marks (111 millions dollars) to a loss of 385 million marks (214 million dollars).

. The edition of the Weekly Stern to appear on Thursday cites a loss of half a billion or even a billion marks, mentioning an Expo 2000 manager without naming him.

Organisers had optimistically hoped that the government would exempt all fair tickets from value added tax. but that suggestion was rejected last September, the weekly said.

In reaction to the article, released in advance on Wednesday. fair general manager Birgit Breuel appealed to the political world for such an exemption, without which Expo 2000 would have "great difficulty" in posting a satisfactory budgetary performance, she said.

Expo 2000 will be competing with some other events, including the Olympic Games in Sydney. the European Football Cup finals, and millennium celebrations in London and Rome.