Doc. 9769 2^nd edition

17 April 2003

The preservation of archaeological sites and cultural property in Iraq

Written Declaration No 344

2^nd edition, originally tabled on 2 April 2003

This written declaration commits only the members who have signed it

The war in Iraq is above all a human drama.

Our compassion goes first to the victims.

But Iraq, ancient Mesopotamia, is also the cradle of writing and the home of certain monuments essential to humanity.

It is right, therefore, to remind the belligerents of their duty to respect the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

Though neither the United States nor United Kingdom are party to this Convention, they have ratified the 1972 World Heritage Convention. Museums and archaeological sites in Iraq must therefore be safeguarded.

May the appeal of the Archaeological Institute of America for the preservation of these key sites for the history of humanity be implemented by all parties so as to avoid repetition of the destruction caused by the 1991 war.

All those involved in the international art trade must also be warned against receiving cultural property from the war zone. The use of this drama to the detriment of the Iraqi heritage shall entail very severe sanctions.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed: ¹

Legendre, France, EDG

André, France, EDG

Baciu, Romania, SOC

Bindig, Germany, SOC

Branger, France, EDG

Clerfayt, Belgium, LDR

Cousin, France, EDG

de Puig, Spain, SOC

Delraux-Stehres, Luxembourg, SOC

Durrieu, France, SOC

Evin, France, SOC

Glesener, Luxembourg, EPP/CD

Goulet, France, LDR

Grzesik, Poland, EPP/CD

Haack, Germany, SOC

Haupert, Luxembourg, EPP/CD

Höfer, Germany, SOC

Hooper, United Kingdom, EDG

Huseynov R., Azerbaijan, LDR

Jonas, Germany, SOC

Kontogiannopoulos, Greece, SOC

Kucheida, France, SOC

Le Grand, France, EDG

Lengagne, France, SOC

Libicki, Poland, EDG

Masseret, France, SOC

Mignon, France, EDG

Nachbar, France, EDG

O'Hara, United Kingdom, SOC

Petrova-Mitevska, « the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia », SOC

Podgórski, Poland, SOC

Riester, Germany, SOC

Roth M., Germany, SOC

Timmermans, Belgium, SOC

Wegener, Germany, SOC

Zieliński, Poland, EPP/CD

Ateş, Turkey, SOC

Zvonar, Netherlands, EPP/CD

Buzatu, Romania, NR

__________________________

Total = 39

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR: Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group