UK x GRE = Parthenon

'The Marbles can travel' says British Museum

For the fisrt time ever, the director of the British Museum (BM), Mr. Neil MacGregor said publicly (...) that Parthenon Marbles could be sent abroad 'under certain conditions'. Asked whether he and the trustees would consider a request from Athens to borrow the Marbles, he said: There is no reason why any object in the BM - if it is fit to travel - shouldn't spend three months or six months somewhere else. So, in principle, absolutely yes. The difficulty at the moment is that the Greek Government has formally, and recently, refused to acknowledge that the trustees are the owners of the objects. The Greek Government has never asked for a loan of the material from the BM. The issue has always been about the permanent removal of all the Parthenon material in the BM collection, to Athens'.
(...)
The idea has been described as "excellent" by [a] liberal democrat MP, who is campaigning in Parliament for the Marbles to be returned to the place where they were created more than 2,000 years ago. (...)
Greece's Culture Minister (...) aid he had read Mr. MacGregor's statement 'with interest' and added that Greek officials and representatives of the BM may discuss the possibility of a loan of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece (...).

from GREECE newsletter - Embassy of Greece: press and communication office
April 2007 - no. 105