UNESCO committee discusses Parthenon Sculptures in Paris

A UNESCO committee for the return of cultural property "recognized for the first time the historical, cultural, legal and ethical aspects of the return by Britain of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece," the Ministry of Culture said on Thursday.

The Intergovenmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation, as its full name is, met at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris on May 30 and 31.

In another important decision, the Ministry of Culture said, the committee called on both sides to "find a mutually acceptable solution to this long-standing issue."

According to the ministry, Greece's position was supported by Argentina, Armenia, China, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Turkey and Zambia, among others. It was also the first time, it noted, that France expressed...