WP: Iraqi Museum Sealed Against Looters: Antiquities Chief Flees Country

[DeepModem Mom]

Iraqi Museum Sealed Against Looters
Antiquities Chief Quits Post, Flees Country, Citing Lack of Safeguards for Historic Treasures
By Ellen Knickmeyer
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, August 27, 2006; Page A14

BAGHDAD, Aug. 26 -- Before he quit as head of Iraq's antiquities board, Donny George made a final desperate attempt this summer to safeguard the relics of 5,000 years of history: He ordered the doors of the National Museum plugged with concrete against the near-unbridled looting of ancient artifacts.

The longtime guardian of Iraqi antiquities under Saddam Hussein and later under a government led by Shiite Muslim religious parties then left the country and sent notice of his resignation in early August, Culture Ministry officials confirmed Saturday.

George, who alerted the world to the looting of Iraq's irreplaceable ancient works of art and writings in the days after U.S. troops moved into Baghdad in 2003, told the Art Newspaper that he found "intolerable" the ongoing failure of Iraqi leaders and U.S. military forces to protect the sites. The London-based monthly reported George's departure on Saturday.

George, an Iraqi Christian, cited what he said was growing pressure by officials of Iraq's ruling Shiite parties to emphasize Iraq's Islamic heritage and ignore the earlier civilizations that stretched back to Babylon and beyond. "A lot of people have been sent to our institutions," the Art Newspaper quoted him as saying. "They are only interested in Islamic sites and not Iraq's earlier heritage."

He also complained of a lack of funding to protect archaeological sites around Iraq. Funding runs out in September for 1,400 specially trained patrolmen who guard the sites, he told the art publication, and no more money has been budgeted to protect places that date to the Sumerian civilization in 3000 B.C....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/26/AR2006082600810.html

[ixion]

1. Iraq is a tragedy for so many reasons

this one being chief among them on the long term, and nearly equally as abhorrent as the deaths of innocent civilians, because it is irreplaceable.

[madrchsod]

2. bush`s legacy

the destruction of iraq is dam near complete now....the treasures of the foundations of western civilization will soon be looted and sold across the world.the thousands upon thousands of years of history will be scattered across the world never to be seen again for years or centuries. the symbols of our laws,our myths,and our history.... it is sad day for all of us

[Benhurst]

3. To think those treasures survied brutal dictator after brutal

dictator, only to be lost when under control of the true barbarians at the gate.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Heidi]

5. Locking.

I locked this duplicate with the wrong link. My apologies. The correct link to the original is: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2476713