General director returns to Baghdad to check arrest claims

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A general director in the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, Aqil al-Mandalawi, has returned to the capital Baghdad to follow up on the news of his arrest warrant. “I’m currently at the Ministry of Interior inquiring about the issue,” Mandalawi told IraqiNews.com news agency. “I do not have any information about the matter. The ministries of interior, culture and other concerned ministries do not have any information either…,” Mandalawi noted. Earlier today, the semi-official al-Iraqiya TV channel said that an arrest warrant has been issued for Mandalawi for his alleged involvement in the smuggling of Iraqi antiquities. Two weeks ago, a spokesperson for the Ministry of State for Tourism and Antiquities, Abdelzahra al-Talqani, told IraqiNews.com news agency that around 15,400 pieces of antiquities have been stolen from the Iraqi museum, of which only 6,000 were restored. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 3,000 to 7,000 pieces are still missing, including 40 to 50 priceless items. SS (P) 1