Posted on 04/18/2003 9:38:21 AM PDT by FairOpinion
Matsuura said top museum officials tried to protect the institution, but the thieves may have succeeded in paying off guards or other low-ranking personnel. He said he doesn't blame the U.S. military, even though UNESCO had urged the U.S. government before the war to safeguard it and other cultural sites.
"If I were to blame somebody, it would be those armed bandits who looted their own cultural treasury," Matsuura said. The museum was assaulted during "a power vacuum" following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's government, and "anything could happen in such confusion and turmoil," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I think for UNESCO to stop blaming the US is quite a step forward.
Do you think the main media will apologize for getting the story completely wrong and whipping up a frenzy over the "negligence" of US troops for not protecting the Iraqi artifacts?
And people say Debka is inaccurate!
For those who are interested, here are some of the stories coming out the past few days, debunking the orginal frenzied accusations:
Steal this vase? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/895788/posts
Many others are looters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/895649/posts
Experts: Looters had keys to Iraqi antiquity vaults http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/895129/posts
Looting not as bad, as feared http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/895267/posts
Iraqis selling antiquitites( 1996!) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/894176/posts
Churning: rethinking Museum Looting http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/894999/posts
And here is a set of direct links to articles( some were not posted separately at FR, just mentioned in posts of some other threads):
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB105062922276805100,00.html?mod=weekend_journal_primary_hs
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB105053292455773900,00.html?mod=article-outset-box
http://www.news-register.net/edit/story/0418202003_edt02.asp
1996: http://www.usfca.edu/~trembath/www-class/iraq-antiquities.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB10504503813207600,00.html?mod=special_page_iraq_3
http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6281650%5E25777,00.html
http://www.arab.net/iraq/iq_baghdadsights.htm
http://www.freep.com/news/nw/iraq/loot17_20030417.htm
http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6281650%255E25777,00.html
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