London will not oppose a return of the Parthenon friezes

(Keystone-ATS) The British government “will not obstruct” the return of ancient remains exposed for more than two centuries in the British capital “if there is an agreement between Athens and the British Museum”, affirmed this source a few hours after the end of the first interview since coming to power of the British Keir Starmer and the Greek Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Before his visit to the United Kingdom, the latter, an ardent supporter of a return of these archaeological treasures some 2,500 years old, said he was “firmly convinced” that the Parthenon marbles would return to Athens.

According to him, the question is not “if” they will return to their town of origin but “when”.

However, he has repeated in recent days, the possible resolution of this thorny issue which has poisoned long-standing bilateral relations concerns the Greek government and the British museum.

Officially, the two Prime Ministers did not indicate after their meeting whether they had discussed this long dispute.

Downing Street had affirmed ahead of the interview that the Parthenon friezes were “not on Keir Starmer’s agenda”.

And the British Prime Minister’s office indicated that the discussions had focused on immigration, support for Ukraine and a ceasefire in Gaza.

Downing Street said the British government’s position had not changed: “We have no plans to change the law to allow” a return of the friezes to Athens, a spokesperson said.

Asked about a possible loan of the Parthenon marbles, he indicated that “these decisions are entirely up to the British Museum”.

On Saturday, the head of the Greek government said that discussions with the British Museum were continuing.

Ancient treasure

Greece is determined to recover its heritage. A return to Athens of this ancient treasure exhibited in one of the greatest museums in the world since 1816 would constitute an indisputable political victory for the conservative leader.

For him, keeping part of the Parthenon friezes outside Greece amounts to “cutting Mona Lisa (the Mona Lisa) in two”, he assured last year.

With this in mind, Kyriakos Mitsotakis led with his head of diplomacy, George Gerapetritis, “private meetings” with officials of the British Museum, including its director George Osborne, on “two or three occasions” this year, according to British television. SkyNews.

Discussions are “well advanced,” according to the Guardian, which cited sources close to the negotiations on Tuesday. The deal would be a cultural partnership that would see the friezes returned to Athens, in exchange for high-profile works sent to London.

Athens has denied any secret dealings but the Starmer government seems more inclined to listen to the Greek request than its predecessor, Rishi Sunak.

The latter had inflicted a diplomatic snub on Mr. Mitsotakis a year earlier by canceling at the last minute their planned meeting, during which the Greek leader intended to address the issue.

“Looted” or “legally acquired”

Athens has been demanding for decades the return of these precious friezes detached from the Parthenon.

The Greek authorities maintain that they were the object of a “looting” orchestrated in 1802 by Lord Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.

But London claims the sculptures were “legally acquired” by Lord Elgin, who sold them to the British Museum.

A 1963 British law prevents the museum from making restitutions.

In the United Kingdom, where according to a 2023 YouGov poll, a majority of Britons are in favor of restitution, opponents fear a domino effect which would see the demands of several countries accumulate.

At the top of the Acropolis, the Parthenon is a temple built in the 5th century BC in homage to the goddess Athena.

The new Acropolis Museum, inaugurated in 2009, has reserved a space to house the friezes of the Parthenon on the floor where the four sides of the temple are recreated. The friezes exhibited in London have been replaced by casts.