Arabs offer to help pay for $5m town hall

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34087, 26 February 1976, Page 1

Arabs offer to help pay for $5m town hall

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, February 25.

The Arabs have offered to help pay for the new Wellington Town Hall. A 85m loan application for the building was recently deferred by the Local Authorities Loans Board.

The offer was macle by the Egyptian Charge d’Affaires (Dr I. Z. Sorour) during a meeting with the Mayor of Wellington (Mr Michael Fowler).

Dr Sorour also invited the Mayor and Mayoress to visit Cairo for 14 days.

Speculation on the town hall project’s reaching fruition has been rife since the 12-month deferment of the Wellington City Council’s loan application this month.

The success of the coucil’s five-month-old fund-raising campaign for the building has also been questioned. Dr Sorour said tonight that

details of the Arab grant had not yet been discussed. He would wait till Mr Fowler put the offer to the council before contacting Cairo. Arab League nations would be willing to contribute towards the hall. 22 countries “So 22 Arab countries will be behind Mr Fowler’s project,” he said. Dr Sorour emphasised that the grant had been offered on a two-fold basis: A personal acknowledgement to Mr Fowler for the courtesy he had shown to the Egyptian mission since its arrival in Wellington last year, and an opportunity to encourage a cultural relationship between New Zealand and the Arab countries. “I also admire Mr Fowler’s spirit in trying to develop his capital city,” he said.

In return for their offer, the Arabs would want space in the hall to accommodate a permanent exhibition depicting Middle East culture and civilisation.

“Egypt and the Arab League are ready to study the matter and participate effectively,” he said.

“I must stress that the offer is not purely a contribution of capital, but a way of saying thank you for the treatment we have received from Mr Fowler.” The Arabs were trying to find fields of co-operation with New Zealand, and the cultural aspect was very important in. building sound relationships, he said. ‘Part of city’

“We believe we are part of this city, and we wish to contribute and share with Wellingtonians in building this cultural centre in a cosmopolitan way,” Dr Sorour said. The Mayor said he had called on Dr Sorour as part of his personal approach to

banks, insurance companies, merchants, professional groups, business houses, and diplomats to find support for the hall. He was about “a quarter way through” his calls. He is delighted with Dr Sorour’s response. “What is so heartening about it is the recognition of this project as a capital city venture — and therefore of national significance,” the Mayor said.