Work starts on Martin Luther King monument

WORK began in Washington yesterday on a memorial to honour the murdered civil rights leader, Martin Luther King.

George Bush, the United States president, attended a ground-breaking ceremony at the site, saying the monument would "preserve his legacy for ages".

The monument is being built not far from where King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963 to about 250,000 people taking part in a pro-civil rights march.

About 5,000 people braved rain, wind and mud for the ceremony. They included the poet and novelist Maya Angelou, the TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey, the former King aide and prominent civil rights leader, the Rev Jesse Jackson, and several members of Congress.

The monument will be the first on the National Mall to honour an African American.

Bill Clinton, the former president, who received a standing ovation from the largely black crowd, noted that it would stand between the Jefferson Memorial and Lincoln Memorial. He said it is appropriate for King's memorial to be between the man who helped found the nation and the man who protected the nation's ideals during the Civil War. "It belongs here," Mr Clinton said.

The memorial is being funded by donations, which have mostly come from major corporations. The fund hit $65.5 million (34 million) earlier this month. Building work is expected to be completed by the spring of 2008.