Protecting Iraqi antiquities.

Abstract

Andrew Lawler's article “Impending war stokes battle over fate of Iraqi antiquities” (News of the Week, 31 Jan., p. [643][1]) misrepresents an initiative that the American Council for Cultural Policy began last October to ensure that the U.S. government took every appropriate measure to protect Iraq's cultural property in the event of conflict. The article discusses—indeed, makes its central theme—the fretting of archaeologists and others that the Council has the hidden motive of loosening Iraqi restrictions on the export of antiquities. I would like to set the record straight. The Council is concerned with the administration of laws and regulations affecting art ownership and loans of art within the United States. It has taken no position with respect to the laws of other countries—including those of Iraq—and does not intend to. The Council is a charitable organization founded to help educate the American public, including collectors and museums, about issues related to the acquisition of cultural property—from antiquities to works that may have been looted during the Nazi era. The Council's Advisory Board is composed of curators, museum directors, scholars, collectors, and others who have a deep interest in the collecting, exhibition, conservation, and study of art. It does not include dealers. The Iraq initiative began in early October 2002, when it became clear that the Department of Defense was seeking more specific information about Iraq's antiquities sites and monuments. There was an evident absence of interest by the U.S. archaeological community in addressing this issue with our government. This is what spurred on the Council, the Association of Art Museum Directors, and the World Monuments Fund—groups with expertise in international cultural policy and serious concerns about this issue—to become actively involved. No part of the initiative involved discussion of or suggestions for change in Iraq's antiquities laws; any statement to the contrary does not reflect the Council's views or policies. The Council considers the looting of the Baghdad Museum (“Ten millennia of culture pilfered amid Baghdad chaos,” Andrew Lawler, News of the Week, 18 April, p. [402][2]) to be an event of catastrophic magnitude for both the people of Iraq and the world as a whole. Objects stolen from the Museum are the national patrimony of Iraq and should be subject to seizure and return wherever they may be found. It is the responsibility of all those concerned with the protection of mankind's cultural heritage to help Iraq rebuild its museums, strengthen its ability to protect and preserve its cultural heritage, and ensure that its stolen material is found and returned. The Council has strenuously advocated the protection of Iraq's cultural patrimony since last October and joins all other concerned groups eager to help the Iraqis achieve this vitally important objective. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.299.5607.643 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.300.5618.402