Minister lays cornerstone for culture center in Najaf

NAJAF / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Culture Minister Mahir Dalli on Saturday laid the foundation stone for a cultural palace in Najaf at a cost of 100 billion Iraqi dinars within preparations to celebrate Najaf as a capital of Islamic culture for 2012. “The project, which stands over an area of 62 donums and a construction area of 48 square meters, will encompass a conference hall that can host 1500 persons, varied stages, gardens and bike parks,” Wassim Galabi, the chairman of the board of a Turkish firm that will carry out the project, told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The project, which will stand on the new Najaf–Baghdad road, will take 450 days to finish. We wish to be ahead of schedule,” he added. The holy Shiite city of Najaf lies 160 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AmR (P) 36