With apologies for cross-posting:

NEW USIA WEB PAGE FEATURES INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY PROTECTION

Washington, D.C.  --  The United States Information Agency (USIA) is
pleased to announce its new Web page featuring International Cultural
Property Protection:

http://www.usia.gov/education/culprop/index.html

The page provides background on the problem of  international pillage of
artifacts and the U.S. response; information about relevant laws,
bilateral agreements and U.S. import restrictions; recent news stories
and magazine articles, and much more.  High-resolution images of classes
of artifacts protected by the U.S. will be added in the near future.

The United States is joined with many other countries in an international
effort to protect cultural heritage globally.  USIA, which oversees the
U.S. role in protecting international cultural property, is the lead
agency in carrying out decision-making responsibilities under the
Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act.  The Act enables the
United States to impose import restrictions on certain categories of
archaeological or ethnological material in accordance with the 1970
UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit
Import and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property when the pillage of
such material places in jeopardy the cultural heritage of the country of
origin.  USIA also supports the Cultural Property Advisory Committee,
appointed by the President, in carrying out its responsibilities under
the Act.

"We hope the Web page will contribute to raising public awareness in
addition to providing information to all interested parties, including
academia, museums, the trade, the general public, law enforcement
entities, and citizens of other countries," announced Executive Director
of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee Maria Papageorge Kouroupas.
"We hope, too, that it will foster greater stewardship of our shared
cultural heritage, a diminishing, non-renewable resource."

United States Information Agency
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 24, 1998
Release No. 070-98
CONTACT: Catherine Stearns
E-MAIL: [log in to unmask]
PHONE: (202) 401-1190