ATHENS — The
British Museum and the Greek
prime minister are in the “advanced stage” of “secret talks” over the “possible
return” of the Parthenon Marbles, local media reported on Saturday.
اضافة اعلان
The ancient sculptures were taken from the Parthenon
temple in Athens in the early 19th century by British diplomat Lord Elgin and
have been held by the British Museum ever since. Greece wants them returned.
The behind-the-scenes talks between British Museum
chair George Osborne and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis “have been
taking place in London since November 2021”, daily newspaper Ta Nea reported.
It said the latest discussions took place at a hotel
this week, while Mitsotakis was in the British capital to promote Greek
business interests.
The “delicate” negotiations between Osborne, a
former British finance minister, and the Greek leader were at “an advanced
stage” but Greek officials cautioned they could still “hit a stalemate at the
eleventh hour”, the paper said.
“It is possible that a mutually beneficial solution
can be found. The Parthenon Sculptures can be reunited and at the same time the
concerns of the British Museum can be taken into account,” ANA-MPA news agency
reported Mitsotakis as saying on Monday.
“I understand that there is momentum. I am
consciously talking about ‘reunification’ of the sculptures and not about a
‘return’.”
The British Museum issued a statement on Saturday
saying it wanted “a new Parthenon partnership with Greece” and was prepared to
talk to Athens about that.
“(But) we operate within the law and we’re not going
to dismantle our great collection, as it tells a unique story of our common
humanity,” it stressed.
The Parthenon temple was built on the
Acropolis in
the 5th century BCE to honor Athena, the patron goddess of Athens.
In the early 19th century, workmen stripped entire
friezes from the monument on the orders of the British ambassador to the
Ottoman Empire, Lord Elgin.
Elgin sold the marbles to the British government,
which in 1817 passed them on to the British Museum, where they remain one of
its most prized exhibits.
Athens insists the sculptures were stolen.
Successive
Greek governments have failed to make
significant headway in the dispute.
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