UK to keep Indian Loot

[Guest guest]

Adamant UK may not return Kohinoor

London, Jan. 18: Britain is unlikely to sign a United Nations

convention on stolen treasures following the advice of an expert

committee, a recommendation that has historic consequences for India.

The draft minimal legislation introduced at a United Nations meeting

prepared by the International Institute for the Unification of

Private Law provides for retrospective moves that can allow a country

to claim back stolen treasures lodged in another country.

 

Signing this agreement would open the legal doors for India to

reclaim the Kohinoor and countless other Indian treasures in British

museums and with the British royalty.

 

The Unidroit draft, prepared in Rome in June 1995, sought to empower

governments with laws to check "the pillage of archaeological sites

and the resulting loss of irreplaceable archaeological, historical

and scientific information." The United Nation's draft legislation

sought to introduce "common, minimal legal rules for the restitution

and return of cultural objects between contracting States."

 

A panel of experts appointed by the British government has made a

limited recommendation that the British government sign the Unesco

convention of 1970 against trade in stolen and illegally exported

treasures but opposed the signing of the draft Unidroit legislation

proposed in 1995 to give a legal edge to the 1970 agreement.

 

The panel recommended that Britain join 91 other countries in signing

the Unesco agreement without agreeing to any minimum legislation to

be agreed internationally.

 

The British government is now considering the 16 recommendations of

its panel. The two principal recommendations are that Britain sign

the Unesco convention and that it introduce "a new criminal offence

of importing, dealing in or possessing stolen or illegally excavated

cultural objects."

 

If the British government signs the Unesco convention as recommended,

it will serve as a strong deterrent to continuing the flourishing

trade in stolen antiques from India that is routed through London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

India unlikely to get back Kohinoor

IANS

(London, January 18)

 

 

BRITAIN IS unlikely to sign a UN convention on stolen treasures

following the advice of an expert committee, a recommendation that

has historic consequences for India.The draft minimal legislation

introduced at a UN meeting prepared by the International Institute

for the Unification of Private Law (Unidroit) provides for

retrospective moves that can allow a country to claim back stolen

treasures lodged in another country.

 

Signing this agreement would open the legal doors for India to

reclaim the Kohinoor and countless other Indian treasures in British

museums and with the British royalty.

 

The Unidroit draft, prepared in Rome in June 1995, sought to empower

governments with laws to check "the pillage of archaeological sites

and the resulting loss of irreplaceable archaeological, historical

and scientific information". The draft legislation sought to

introduce "common, minimal legal rules for the restitution and return

of cultural objects between contracting states".

 

A panel of experts appointed by the British government has made a

limited recommendation that the British government sign the UNESCO

convention of 1970 against trade in stolen and illegally exported

treasures but opposed the signing of the draft Unidroit legislation

proposed in 1995 to give a legal edge to the 1970 agreement.

 

The panel recommended that Britain join 91 other countries in signing

the UNESCO agreement without agreeing to any minimum legislation to

be agreed internationally.

 

The British government is now considering the 16 recommendations of

its panel. The two principal recommendations are that Britain sign

the UNESCO convention and that it introduce "a new criminal offence

of importing, dealing in or possessing stolen or illegally excavated

cultural objects".

 

If the British government signs the convention as recommended, it

will serve as a strong deterrent to continuing trade in stolen

antiques from India that is routed through London.

 

Minister for Culture, Media and Sports Alan Howarth welcomed the

recommendations and added, "We benefit very greatly in Britain from a

vigorous and honourable market in cultural objects" but the

government has "received disturbing reports of cultural depredation

both within and beyond the United Kingdom".

 

The panel had been established in the face of "growing anxieties

about the illicit trade in cultural objects and the UK's part in it,"

Howarth said. But there is still no agreement within the British

government to accept even the limited recommendations of the panel.

 

A strong lobby representing the art business has opposed Britain's

signing the UNESCO agreement for 30 years now. According to industry

estimates trade in stolen antiques is worth more than a billion

dollars a year in Britain.