Posted on 01/23/2005 9:11:10 AM PST by Grzegorz 246
WARSAW - US and Polish troops did not damage the archaeological ruins of ancient Babylon despite setting up a military headquarters at the site for two years, Iraqi Deputy Minister of Defence Ziad Cattan said on Friday in Warsaw.
“There was no damage done to archaeological artefacts in Babylon by either Polish or US troops,” PAP news agency quoted him as saying.
Cattan echoed claims by Polish defence officials that the presence of troops at the site helped to preserve Babylon’s archaeological treasures.
Earlier this month, John Curtis, a senior archaeologist with the British Museum, had alleged that more than 6,000 multinational soldiers stationed in Camp Babylon under Polish command until mid- December last year were responsible for “substantial damage” to the ancient site, about 80 kilometres south of Baghdad.
Concerns over possible damage to the ancient city were a factor in a decision to move the contingent’s headquarters and base camp.
In a report recently published by British daily The Guardian, Curtis said he witnessed the destruction of a 2,600 year-old brick pavement by military vehicles, and saw valuable archaeological fragments strewn across the camp site being used to fill sandbags.
Polish defence officials vehemently denied the claims and insisted that the troop presence had protected Babylon’s ancient treasures from looters and the indiscriminate destruction of war.
Polish archaeologists working with the military mission had completed 25 archaeological projects at a cost of about 700,000 dollars, a senior military commander said.
On Monday Iraqi Minister of Culture Mufid al-Jazairi decided to close Babylon indefinitely to allow experts to assess the damage done by foreign troops.
Cattan is currently negotiating arms contracts with Polish suppliers and called on Poland not to reduce it’s contingent of 2,500 troops after Iraq’s January 30 general election. Polish leaders have vowed to reduce troops to 1,700 soldiers following the ballot.
Once again the anti-American dis-information campaign spreading its lies.
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