5 May 1992

Doc. 6612

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 343

by MM. BAUMEL and TUMMERS

on the cultural heritage of the former territory of Yugoslavia

      Mr BAUMEL and Mr TUMMERS,

1.        Deploring the continuing destruction and pillage of the cultural heritage of the former territory of Yugoslavia;

2.       Regretting the pusillanimous response of the Committee of Ministers to the appeals for Council of Europe action launched by many non-governmental organisations, by the European Conference of Ministers responsible for the Cultural Heritage (Malta, January 1992) and by the Assembly (most recently in February, 1992);

3.       Regretting also the position taken by the Committee of Ministers that has cut off cultural co-operation with the whole of the former territory of Yugoslavia and pointing out that Council of Europe contacts are only at present maintained through the Assembly, which has granted "Special Guest" status to Slovenia and now Croatia and has enabled its Sub-Committee on the Architectural and Artistic Heritage to meet in Ljubljana on 24-26 April 1992;

4.       To ask the Committee of Ministers:

i.       to reconsider the proposal contained in Recommendation 1172 for the active deployment of conservation officers alongside military personnel sent into the former territories of Yugoslavia and with due recognition for the need for co-operation with the activities of other organisations such as Unseco, which is focusing its attention on Dubrovnik;

ii.       to invite the various republics of the former territory of Yugoslavia to co-operate on an observer basis within the European Cultural Convention pending (but without prejudice to) a resolution of the problem of succession to the former status of Yugoslavia under this Convention;

iii.       to give further consideration to the problem of the illegal movement of works of art in Europe, in the light of Recommendation 1072 and more recntly Recommendation 1172 and the increasing importance of the problem throughout Central and Eastern Europe and the likely impact of the Single Market, with a view to the possibility of setting up an ad hoc committee of intergovernmental experts (conservationists and civil and penal law experts).

      Signed:       BAUMEL

      TUMMERS