Further coverage of the Getty’s agreement to return a gold wreath to Greece following eleven years of requests.

From:
The Scotsman

Mon 11 Dec 2006
Getty returns more antiquities to Greece to end row
By Karolos Grohmann

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece on Monday declared an end to an 11-year dispute with the J.P. Getty Museum on Monday after the U.S. institution agreed to return two ancient artefacts.

In a joint statement released simultaneously in Athens and Los Angeles, the Getty, among the world’s richest museums, will return a spectacular 4th century BC Macedonian gold funerary wreath and a 6th century BC marble “kori” statue of a woman.
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Yet another disputed artefact from the Getty now looks set to be returned to its rightful owners. While the Getty continues to try & belatedly put its house in order though, the British Museum continues to hide behind the anti-deaccessioning clauses of the British Museum Act rater than actually dealing with the various similar issues relating to their own collection.

From:
New York Times

Getty Museum Is Expected to Return Gold Wreath to Greece
By HUGH EAKIN and ANTHEE CARASSAVA
Published: December 11, 2006

After nearly a year of negotiations, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles has agreed in principle to return a rare fourth-century B.C. gold funerary wreath to Greece that cultural officials there contend was illegally removed from Greek soil, an expert briefed on the talks said Sunday.

The museum, which bought the artifact in 1993, reached its decision in recent days after new information came to light about the wreath’s likely origin, the expert added. He said he was speaking on condition of anonymity because of an agreement on both sides not to speak with the news media until an announcement could be made.
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Six smuggled statues from India were seized at Heathrow airport last year. They will be officially handed over to the Indian High commissioner later this week. This is a promising sign, that whilst looting is still endemic in many parts of the world, governments are now working together to restore looted artefacts to their rightful owners as rapidly as possible.

From:
PR Newswire

Ancient statues returning to India
PRNewswire-GNN London 11 December
London, 11 December /PRNewswire-GNN/ —

HM REVENUE AND CUSTOMS News Release (Ref:OPNO 01/06) issued by The Government News Network on 11 December 2006

Financial Secretary to the Treasury John Healey, will on Thursday officially hand back six ancient Indian statues confiscated by HM Revenue & Customs at Heathrow last year to the Indian Deputy High Commissioner, Ambassador Ranjan Mathai.
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I was informed today of the tragic news that Dr Peter Derow, a long time supporter of the campaign for the return of the Elgin Marbles had collapsed & died at the weekend.
Peter Taught Ancient History at Wadham College, Oxford & was one of the original founding members of the Parthenon 2004 campaign (now known as Marbles Reunited). His wisdom & anecdotes & the intellectual clout that he added to the campaign will be sorely missed.

Coverage in the Greek press of the UN draft resolution of the return of cultural property.

From:
Athens News Agency

12/06/2006
UN adopts ‘cultural property return’ Resolution

New York (ANA-MPA/P. Panagiotou) — Greece’s culture minister George Voulgarakis called for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece late Monday night, speaking at the UN just after the General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution tabled by Greece last month on the return or restitution of cultural property to their countries of origin. He also welcomed the adoption of the resolution by the plenary session as “exceptionally important”.

“The Greek initiative for the Resolution that has been unanimously adopted by the United Nations, which concerns the reunification of antiquities, is an exceptionally important event,” Voulgarakis said after the adoption of the resolution, adding that “this result is the outcome of the efforts we have made recently to enable the antiquities to return to their places of origin”.
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Following earlier discussion about cultural property restitution at the United Nations, a draft resolution on Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin has been introduced for discussion.

From:
United Nations

4 December 2006
General Assembly
GA/10544
Sixty-first General Assembly
Plenary
64th & 65th Meetings (AM & PM)
GENERAL ASSEMBLY, CONSIDERING SIXTH COMMITTEE REPORTS, ADOPTS TEXT ON CRIMINAL
ACCOUNTABILITY OF UNITED NATIONS OFFICIALS, EXPERTS ON MISSION
Delegates also Take Action on Drafts Dealing With Conflict Diamonds, Culture of Peace, Cultural Property, HIV/AIDS

By one of more than 15 resolutions and decisions adopted today as it took up the reports of its Sixth Committee (Legal), the General Assembly decided to establish an Ad Hoc Committee to consider criminal accountability of United Nations officials and experts on mission.
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