Parthenon marbles, cold shower from culture minister: They belong to the UK

The discussion around the Parthenon Marbles continues apace. Despite the fact that in recent days the British Museum had confirmed that there is a dialogue with Greece, statements in recent days have not helped the confrontation, in fact they have probably driven the parties apart again. Last week, Athens had reiterated its position that the presence of the Parthenon marbles at the British Museum in London is "the result of theft." Moreover, in the past few hours again Greece has rejected the idea of a long-term loan of what the British call the “Elgin marbles,” again on the principle that the Hellenes do not recognize the legitimate possession of the marbles by the United Kingdom, and consequently in their view would not have the right to lend them. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during a televised interview, reiterated his hope that the marbles would be returned outright.

“I don’t expect immediate results,” Mitsotakis said, “but I think we have already moved very systematically. If the Greeks give us confidence again [editor’s note: Mitsotakis’ term expires in July], I think we could achieve this after the elections.” In short, this is news that somewhat contradicts rumors of a possible agreement between Greece and the UK on a marbles loan.

So the situation is still very steamy, and further chilling the hopes of the Greeks came yesterday with the stance of the British Minister of Culture, Michelle Donelan, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show. During the interview, Donelan stated that it is not her intention to permanently return the Parthenon marbles to Greece since sending the sculptures to Greece would “open a Pandora’s box” and would be a “dangerous road to go down” as it would “open up the question of the entire contents of our museums.” The British Museum is prohibited by law from returning the marbles to Greece, and Donelan anticipated that he will not change the law. As for the possible arrangements with Greece that have been much talked about in recent days, he said he had had “several conversations” with the British’s president, George Osborne, and that the latter’s thinking would be misrepresented. “He has no intention of sending them back, basically,” the minister said. “He has no desire to do that. There was also talk of a 100-year loan, which is certainly not what he is planning either. He would agree with me that we should not send them back, because they belong to all intents and purposes to the United Kingdom, where we have taken care of them for a long time, where we have allowed them to be seen.”

Parthenon marbles, cold shower from culture minister: They belong to the UK

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