After announcing that it was ready to examine the file for the restitution of the sculptures of the Acropolis, the British delegation once again relied on the British Museum. Who cannot legally decide on a return of the remains.
The horizon so hoped for by Melina Mercouri still seems so distant. More than thirty years after the disappearance of the actress and Greek Minister of Culture who was the first to officially call for the return of the classical sculptures of the Parthenon, the prospect of an early resolution of the dispute seems to have returned to square one. A meeting between Greek and British officials, painstakingly sewn through Unesco, was nevertheless on the verge of success, when the diplomatic house of cards – or, rather, the Greek temple – once again more collapsed.
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Passing through Paris on the occasion of the annual meeting of the intergovernmental committee “Return and Restitution” of Unesco, a British representative of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport explained that the government of Boris Johnson was, on balance, not competent to settle the dispute over the Parthenon Marbles. This assertion goes against the announcement made two weeks ago by Unesco, according to which the Greek and British governments had agreed in April to engage “as soon as possible” formal discussions about the ancient remains kept in the British Museum and claimed by Athens.
A discussion always scheduled
If we believe the latest position of the British delegation, it would ultimately be up to the British Museum to decide the fate of the Parthenon marbles, a position already defended by Prime Minister Boris Johnson several months ago. However, the museum is very freshly prepared, even quite hostile, to discuss the slightest restitution of this treasure of classical art kept within its walls since the beginning of the 19th century.e century. And even if this obstacle were removed, British heritage legislation would require the adoption of a text of law to regulate this hypothetical restitution. However, no project of this caliber is on the agenda of the British parliament.
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Although the British are driving their Greek counterparts crazy, Athens can cling to a glimmer of hope: the principle of a meeting has been maintained despite these incessant scrambles. What will the ministerial archons talk about if the bone of contention is not on the menu of discussions? “We are always happy to discuss cultural cooperation with our Greek colleagues”explained lip service to the British delegation.
The “rubble” of anger
The annual meeting of the Unesco committee on restitution had begun with an undiplomatic British prank. The Deputy Director of the British Museum, Jonathan Williams, said in mid-May that a “good part of the frieze” antique had been saved by Lord Elgin “rubble” lying around the Parthenon, and not cut directly on the monument dedicated to the cult of Athena. One way to mitigate the affront to the Greek architectural gem, embellished with Ve century BC by the sculptor Phidias. Contemporary testimonies of Lord Elgin, and in particular that of the painter Giovanni Battista Lusieri, nevertheless evoke the “slightly barbaric manners” the removal of the marbles.
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The site supervised by Lord Elgin at the Parthenon is however documented, as was immediately indignant the Greek Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, citing the state of research in Greece and internationally. “The state of preservation of the great majority of the marbles in the British Museum is ample proof that they did not fall more than twelve meters high, but that they were carefully taken and then lowered before being still sawn at ground level,” specified on May 23 for the British daily The Guardian Anthony Snodgrass, archaeologist in favor of the restitution of the Parthenon marbles.
Apart from Greece and the United Kingdom, the 18 other States present at the meeting of the UNESCO committee on restitution unanimously gave their support to Greece. However, this long-term dispute is testing the patience of international observers. The representative of Venezuela would thus have been angry with “the ping pong game” incessant from the United Kingdom, which would never cease to go back on its statements and to use hot and cold. The British public opinion, it seems to decide for the restitution, as indicated it a survey carried out last November.