[CPProt.net] FW: UN urges Ethiopia to postpone re-erecting obelisk

[Museum Security Network / Cultural Property Protection Net (Ton Cremers)]

http://www.reuters.co.za/locales/c_newsArticle.jsp;:4270c8ca:027253b1c6e944?
type=topNews&localeKey=en_ZA&storyID=8329969
 
UN urges Ethiopia to postpone re-erecting obelisk
 
	
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Thu April 28, 2005 1:25 PM GMT+02:00 

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The United Nations urged Ethiopia on Thursday not to
re-erect a treasured ancient obelisk following its return from Italy until
recently discovered tombs nearby had been fully explored. 

Awad Elhassan, Ethiopia representative of the U.N. Educational Scientific
and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), said Ethiopia should await the result of
studies on the tombs before reassembling the tower stolen by fascist Italy
68 years ago. 

"Any hasty action to re-erect the obelisk would cause serious damage to the
new discoveries as well as to the obelisk," he told Reuters. 

High-tech electronic surveys had revealed the existence of several vast
funerary chambers under a parking lot near the original location of the
obelisk, which was returned to the historic northern city of Axum from Rome
last week. 

Elhassan said the discovery -- the latest in a string of such finds around
the site since the 1970s -- had been made by experts who were sent to Axum
to prepare for the re-erection of the obelisk at its original location. 

"The UNESCO experts who took part in the mission declared that underground
chambers and arcades have been found in the vicinity of the original
location of the obelisk," Elhassan said. 

"The newly discovered site is a royal necropolis used by several dynasties
before the Christian era. Some of the tombs identified through under-ground
imaging are intact," he reported the experts as saying. 

The third and final piece of the obelisk was returned from Italy last week.
The 24-metre (78 feet) funerary monument was plundered by fascist dictator
Benito Mussolini and transported to Italy as a victory symbol. Arguments and
logistical problems had for decades delayed the obelisk's return. 

Italy is funding the reassembly work, expected to take several months and
pose a major engineering challenge. Ethiopian officials had initially
planned to start the work straight away.