Join in 'mediation' with Greece over Parthernon Marbles, Unesco urges Britain

The call for return of the so-called Elgin collection of Parthenon Sculptures, currently on display in the British Museum, has been at the heart of one of the world's most celebrated cultural property dispute[s]: William Hague has been urged to take part in a "mediation procedure" with Greece in a fresh diplomatic bid to resolve the long-running dispute [...] Unesco, the United Nation's cultural organisation, has written to the Foreign Secretary, to Maria Miller, the culture secretary, and to Neil MacGregor, the British Museum's director, inviting them to sit down with Greek officials and seek a mutually acceptable solution to the issue of the sculptures [...] David Cameron has opposed calls to return the Marbles [...] and the museum says the sculptures are a vital element of its displays. Mr MacGregor has said in the past that he would never agree to their return.

He also points out that all the objects are recorded in the Museum's Portableised Architectural Scraps Database wjhich is available online for all Greeks to see what is held in other people's collections, "so I really do not understand what the fuss is about"

Martin Banks, 'Join in 'mediation' with Greece over Elgin Marbles, Unesco urges Britain', Telegraph 15 Oct 2013