Iraq calls for restoration of its cultural possessions – ancient antiques

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq has presented its first report for a UNESCO committee, specialized in the return and restoration of Iraq‘s cultural possessions, the director-general of Iraq‘s Culture Ministry’s Books and Documents House, Saad Iskandar said on Sunday. “Iraq has presented its first report to the conference, recently held in Paris, pointing to the efforts of the Iraqi government and the cultural parties. It called on related world agencies to restore the lost Iraqi cultural possessions, including archaeological antiquities,” Iskandar said. “We have provided detailed explainations for the regional and international agencies cooperating with Iraq, along with those who refused to cooperate with it,” he added. “We have also presented the mechanism followed by the Iraqi government and its Ministry of Culture, in order to restore the Iraqi cultural possessions, including arachaeological antiques, rare books, paintings and historic documents,” he stressed. Iskandar pointed out that the states who have cooperated in this regard had been Jordan, Syria, Germany, and Britain. They have returned ancient artefacts, including clay antiques, metal appliances and statues. “The Saudi delegation returned 21 archaeological antiques, not 18 as a previous report by the General Commission of Ancient Remnants had reported,” Iskandar said. He continued, adding that the German Delegation had issued a statement pointing to Germany‘s efforts to restore the Iraqi cultural possessions, that are now in Germany, including 18 pieces that were already returned to Iraq. In conclusion, Iskandar said that the last Paris Conference had “voted on a draft decision to form negotiation committees among states that are in difference on those possessions and to settle the conflict through friendly means, and the conference had been attended by 22 states, including Iraq that won its leading seat in the committee since its establishment about 40 years ago. SKH/SR 1