Linda, Well stated. Thank you. Michael A. Tomlan Assoc. Professor and Director, Graduate Program in Historic Preservation Planning Cornell University & Project Director, National Council for Preservation Education At 12:24 PM 4/16/03 +1000, Linda Young wrote: >Dear colleagues > >It sems clear that international organised art crime orchestrated the >shameful looting of the Iraqi National Museum. Doubtless, such criminals >foresaw chaos in Baghdad and arranged schemes to take advantage of insecure >museums, should the moment arise. They must be identified and punished as >war criminals. > >But I suggest that we should all contemplate the desperate circumstances of >ordinary people who may have participated in the pillage: living in a >society outside the rule of law, in a city no longer served by basic >amenities such as electricity and water, fearful of the future. In such >dire circumstances, would many of us have resisted the opportunity to grab >some potential security for our families? > >The larger population that merits our professional rage and condemnation is >the international (effectively Western) 'art market'. Societies that laud >the possession of unique artefacts as evidence of individual wealth and >taste thereby create the demand for stolen cultural material. The European >and American 'art market' is the monster that drives a myriad of illegal >actions, from systematic archaeological looting to the opportunistic >pillage of the Baghdad Museum. > >The challenge is to convert the culture of private ownership to communal >cultural pride. As the UNESCO Convention (1970) proclaims: 'cultural >property constitutes one of the basic elements of civilisation and national >culture', which 'enriches the cultural life of all peoples''damage to >cultural property belonging to any people whatsoever means damage to the >cultural heritage of all mankind'. > > > > > > > > > >ICOM President Jacques Perot urges all ICOM Committees and Affiliated > >Organisations to disseminate as widely as possible the following UNESCO > >press release. > > > > > >Communiqué > >Office of the Spokeswoman/ La Porte Parole > >Contact: [log in to unmask] > >Telephone: 00 33 (1) 45 68 13 26 > >Fax: 00 33 (1) 45 68 55 66 > > > > > >UNESCO, 13 April 2003 > > > >The Director-General of UNESCO calls for all measures to be taken to ensure > >the protection and surveillance of Iraqi cultural heritage and effectively > >fight against illicit trafficking > > > >Following the acts of looting committed yesterday in the National > >Archaeological Museum of Baghdad, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura > >has contacted the American and British authorities and asked them to take > >immediate measures of protection and surveillance of Iraqi archaeological > >sites and cultural institutions. In a letter of 11 April 2003 addressed to > >the American authorities, the Director-General emphasized the urgent need to > >preserve collections and a heritage considered to be one of the richest in > >the world. He particularly insisted on the necessity of assuring military > >protection for the Archaeological Museum of Baghdad and the Mosul Museum. > >The same request was formulated to the British authorities concerning in > >particular the Basra region. > > > >In order to prevent the illicit export of Iraqi cultural goods, the > >Director-General also undertook contacts with the authorities of the > >countries bordering Iraq and international police and customs officials to > >ensure respect of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and > >Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural > >Property. He again requested INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization, the > >International Confederation of Art and Antiquities Dealer Associations > >(CINOA), the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the International > >Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the principal actors of the art > >market to join forces with UNESCO in a "comprehensive mobilization so that > >stolen objects should not find their way to acquirers". > > > >- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > > >Change ICOM-L subscription options, unsubscribe, and search the > >archives at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/icom-l.html > > >Dr Linda Young >Senior Lecturer, Cultural Heritage Management >University of Canberra >Tel: 02-6201 2079 >[log in to unmask] > >- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > >Change ICOM-L subscription options, unsubscribe, and search the >archives at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/icom-l.html - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Change ICOM-L subscription options, unsubscribe, and search the archives at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/icom-l.html