ICOM-CC said:
'ICOM-CC urges the so-called Coalition Forces to act according to The Hague
Convention'.

This is just a rhetorical question:
Neither the USA nor the UK have ratified the 1954 Hague Convention. Why then
would they act according to it?

Sophia.


>From: Jorgen Wadum <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: International Council of Museums Discussion List
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: ICOM-CC appalled by looting in Iraq.
>Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 14:44:53 +0200
>
>ICOM-CC appalled by looting in Iraq.
>
>The International Council of Museums - Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC)
>is witnessing the looting and damage of cultural property in the aftermath
>of war in Iraq with the utmost concern.
>
>When ICOM-CC (Feb 25, 2003) and shortly after the International Committee
>of the Blue Shield (ICBS) as well as other international organisations
>warned about the consequences of war, we stressed our concern for "... the
>prospects of possible damage to our shared cultural heritage and loss of
>human life as a result of armed conflicts."
>
>ICOM-CC, with many other international organisations, must now again stress
>how significant and crucial The Hague Convention is to all regimes. It is
>imperative that all parties in Iraq realise their responsibilities towards
>cultural property.
>
>In the "Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of
>Armed Conflict", drawn up in The Hague, 14 May 1954, and entered in force 7
>August 1956, Paragraph I. "General provisions regarding protection",
>Article 4. "Respect for cultural property" section 3 reads:
>
>"The High Contracting Parties further undertake to prohibit, prevent and,
>if necessary, put a stop to any form of theft, pillage or misappropriation
>of, and any acts of vandalism directed against, cultural property. They
>shall refrain from requisitioning movable cultural property situated in the
>territory of another High Contracting Party."
>
>ICOM-CC will hold all so-called Coalition Force Partners accountable for
>the looting and damage to cultural property in Iraq.
>
>Further paragraph X, "Protocol for the Protection of Cultural Property in
>the Event of Armed Conflict", article 1, reads: "The High Contracting
>Parties are agreed as follows: 1. Each High Contracting Party undertakes to
>prevent the exportation, from a territory occupied by it during an armed
>conflict, of cultural property as defined in Article 1 of the Convention
>for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict,
>signed at The Hague on 14 May, 1954."
>
>Article 3 expands on this role by saying: "Each High Contracting Party
>undertakes to return, at the close of hostilities, to the competent
>authorities of the territory previously occupied, cultural property which
>is in its territory, if such property has been exported in contravention of
>the principle laid down in the first paragraph. Such property shall never
>be retained as war reparations."
>
>ICOM-CC urges the so-called Coalition Forces to act according to The Hague
>Convention. There simply is no excusable exception for not following these
>universal rules of civilised conduct.
>
>ICOM-CC hopes that inventories of the holdings of looted Iraq museums as
>soon as possible can be distributed to Interpol and also widely (via
>e-lists) to the entire museum world in order to identify these stolen
>antiquities in the market for their restitution or seizure.
>
>On behalf of ICOM - Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC),
>
>Jørgen Wadum
>Chair ICOM-CC
>
>ICOM-CC is the largest of the international committees under the
>International Council of Museums (ICOM) with members' world-wide from every
>branch of the museum and conservation profession.
>ICOM is a non-governmental organisation maintaining formal relations with
>UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations' Economic
>and Social Council.
>ICOM-CC Secretariat, 13, via San Michele , 00153 Rome, ITALY ; Tel.: + 39
>06 58 55 34 10 ; Fax: + 39 06 58 55 33 49 ; E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>
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