[CPProt.net] Stolen archaeological pieces returned to Syria

[Ellie Bruggeman]

*Stolen archaeological pieces returned to Syria

19:12 2005-11-07
Germany has returned to Syria about 2,700 archaeological pieces stolen 
from this country three years ago, a Syrian official said Monday.Deputy 
Culture Minister Abdul-Razzak Mouaz said German police seized the pieces 
on the Swiss-German border in 2002, according to the state-run al-Thawra 
newspaper.

Bassam Jammous, director general of the Antiquities and Museums 
Department, told The Associated Press that the pieces include gold, 
bronze and silver coins, pottery, mosaics and clay tablets dating back 
to prehistoric times such as the Bronze Age.

"Scientifically, the pieces are invaluable," said Jammous, who received 
the pieces along with Mouaz at Damascus' international airport on 
Sunday, the AP reports.

A committee has been formed to study the pieces and learn their economic 
value.

Jammous said Syrian museums will display the pieces, which shed light on 
political, economic and social life in ancient Syria.
Negotiations are also underway to recover four stolen Syrian mosaic 
tablets from France, Jammous said without elaborating.

http://newsfromrussia.com/world/2005/11/07/67143.html

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