Deal with Lebanese corp. to build 4 hotels in Karbala

KARBALA / IraqiNews.com: The Karbala Investment Organization signed on Monday an initial agreement with Lebanon’s International Group to build four hotels in the province, the organization’s deputy chairman said. “The agreement was signed with a delegation from the company under its director Abbas Fawaz, who arrived in the city two days ago to tour sites there,” Jamal al-Haj Yassin told IraqiNews.com. He said that the company applied for constructing four 5-star and 4-star hotels in different areas of the province, noting the Lebanese company is also planning to build two hotels in Najaf at a cost of $150 million. International Group Holding is a Lebanese investment company specialized in constructing tourist hotels. The holy Shiite city of Karbala, where religious tourism is flourishing, lies 110 km southwest of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AmR (P)/SR 1