Ten Arab countries agreed to launch a working group to preserve archeological property in a conference on cultural heritage held in Cairo on Thursday. Cairo hosted the two-day conference, which began on Wednesday, amid the participation of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and representatives from nine other Arab countries. The countries participating in the conference include Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Sudan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman. The working group was among the six points of agreement reached at the conclusion of the conference, titled the Cairo Declaration. The attendants also agreed to establish an international advisory committee on the means of protecting monuments from looting, Egypt’s minister of antiquities announced. LOOTING AND DESTROYING ANTIQUITIES Minister Mamdouh al-Damaty added that an awareness campaign will also be launched at countries which suffer from antiquities trafficking. “The Middle East has suffered from campaigns of looting monuments … especially in Iraq,” Damaty said. Islamic State fighters in Iraq looted in February the Mosul Museum, destroying priceless statues and sculptures from the historical Assyrian era. Syria is another Middle Eastern state which has suffered the loss of…
Egypt Hosts Conference to Protect Cultural Heritage, Confront Looting
May 14, 2015
