Syria Returns Stolen Artifacts to Iraq

BAGHDAD—Iraq's National Museum has recovered 701 artifacts stolen since the fall of Saddam Hussein, the Associated Press reports. The treasures — which include golden necklaces, daggers, and pots — were returned to the museum by Syrian authorities, who seized them as they were smuggled over the border for the past five years.

Syria is the first country to return stolen Iraqi artifacts in such large quantity. Some of the pieces are originals from the museum, bearing their assigned serial numbers, some are copies, and some are recently unearthed objects. Syrian officials said that a number of the smugglers were arrested, but they did not know how many.

Laurent Levi-Strauss, chief of UNESCO's museums and cultural objects section, said that between 3,000 and 7,000 of the museum's pieces are still missing, 40 to 50 of them considered of great historic value. He added that negotiations are currently under way with Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Italy for the return of artifacts. Iraq's acting state minister of tourism and archaeology, Mohammad Abbas al-Oreibi, also said he plans to visit Jordan in an attempt to persuade authorities there to return over 150 items.