On the ongoing negotiations to reunite the Parthenon Sculptures, the British Museum told ERTNews that "Discussions with Greece on the Parthenon partnership are ongoing and constructive."
And continues:
"We believe that this type of long-term partnership will strike the right balance between sharing our greatest objects with audiences around the world and maintaining the integrity of the incredible collection we have in the museum."
At the same day the Economist published an article saying that the Marbles status negotiations could take a big step forward.
"In 2025, the marbles may finally be moved - or at least negotiations over their status may take a big step forward." This is the thesis of the Economist article, which gives a detailed account of the situation and the issue of cultural heritage restitution, as the return of antiquities involving "less prominent objects" puts less pressure on museums.
The article states that "a deal with Greece would be the culmination of a wave of restitution that has taken place in the shadow of the Marbles".
"Many arguments against their return have been overturned. The idea that the British Museum is the only competent custodian for the marbles has always seemed slightly spurious, even more so after one of its staff was accused of pilfering almost 2,000 antiquities and selling them on eBay," writes The Economist's culture correspondent. The columnist cites sources from different authors who wrote books on this subject to conclude that a "return is no longer a dirty word".
The facts and the speculation
As the Economist article makes clear, there is nothing concrete other than the acknowledgement that discussions are underway and that the possible reunification of the sculptures faces favourable circumstances. Senior diplomatic sources explicitly told ERT that they "do not confirm" the reports, in which details of the alleged agreement are given.
This is because they do not even know if there will be an agreement in the end let alone what exactly an alleged agreement will contain.
In particular, another diplomatic source told ERT that "nothing has been agreed unless everything has been agreed". We are watching a diplomatic negotiation of the highest level where the two sides talk behind closed doors for the best outcome they can conclude.
The Parthenon Project campaign, funded by multi-millionaire John Lefas, is 'keeping a low profile', while the long-established British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles (BCRPM) claims they do not have knowledge of the details of the negotiations.
What we do know is that the Greek government has been talking to the British Museum and the British government for years, by their own admission. The draft of the agreement though has not been finalised. Everything that is published is a "product of fantasy", according to an ERT diplomatic source.
It could also be a "framework agreement" and the details will be worked out later.
Greek and British journalists are chasing the story on the occasion of the arrival of the Greek Foreign Minister in London and the rumoured subsequent visit of Prime Minister Mitsotakis to London in early December.
But given the puzzling silence on the negotiations for a possible agreement to reunite the sculptures, from both the British Museum and the Greek side, what remains is what we know: that discussions are continuing, that these may take place at many levels and in many ways, and that it is by no means certain that Kyriakos Mitsotakis who will (possibly) travel to London in early December, will sign an agreement.
The British Museum is in the final stages of awarding a competition for an architectural proposal for the renovation of the museum. From the beginning of the new year, many of the British Museum's Western Rooms will be gradually closed, including the galleries housing the Greek antiquities including the Parthenon Sculptures in Room 18. These sculptures will have to be moved... somewhere. This will certainly increase the chances of the British Museum agreeing to an exchange, but we must not forget that these treasures are in the UK's most important institution, and it is also a matter of national pride for the British as well as the Greeks, and certainly for the museum's board.
The article was written originally in Greek by Evdoxia Lymperi - UK correspondent for ERT (Greek Broadcasting Corp.) it was first published in ertnews.gr
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