Greece distanced itself on Wednesday from suggestions that it planned to drag a centuries-old dispute over the return of the Parthenon marbles into Brexit negotiations.
Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said Athens would keep up its campaign for the return of the 2,500-year-old treasures and will consider which tools could support its cause.
“Greece’s request for the return of the Parthenon marbles remains strong and it is not linked to a Brexit deal,” Petsas said, asked if the issue could be a stumbling point in talks with Britain on its future relationship with the European Union.
Photo: EPA-EFE
照片：歐新社
“We’ll continue to call for their return and if this is a tool we can use, we’ll consider it in due course,” he said.
Since independence in 1832, Greece has repeatedly called for the return of the sculptures — known in Britain as the Elgin Marbles — that British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the Parthenon temple in Athens in the early 19th century, when Greece was under Ottoman rule.
The British Museum in London has refused to return the sculptures — roughly half of a 160m frieze which adorned the 5th century BC monument — saying they were acquired by Elgin under a legal contract with the Ottoman Empire. It says they “are part of everyone’s shared heritage.”
Photo: Ad Meskens / Wikimedia Commons
照片：Ad Meskens / 維基共享資源
A draft of the 27 EU nations’ position on negotiations with Britain on their future relationship, which was seen by Reuters on Feb. 18, seeks the “return or restitution of unlawfully removed cultural objects to their countries of origin.”
The document did not specify any cultural objects, but an EU diplomat said the term was added at the request of Greece, with support from Italy.
Last month, Greece’s Culture Minister Lina Mendoni called Elgin a “serial thief” who employed illegal tactics to take the marbles. She said she believes the circumstances are ripe for the marbles’ return.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
照片：維基共享資源
(Reuters)
希臘原本計畫在歐盟與英國脫歐協議談判的內容中，要求英國歸還帕德嫩神廟雕像──兩國為此已爭執了數百年──但二月十九日希臘卻打了退堂鼓。
希臘政府發言人史代流斯·佩查斯表示，雅典將繼續努力，促使這些有兩千五百年歷史的珍寶得以回歸，有助於達到此目標的手段都可能採用。
Photo: EPA-EFE
照片：歐新社
佩查斯被問及，此問題是否可能會成為英國與歐盟談判未來關係的絆腳石，他表示：「希臘仍強烈要求歸還帕德嫩神廟石雕，這和英國脫歐協議無關」。
他說：「我們會繼續呼籲他們歸還，若〔將其列入英國脫歐協議〕是我們可以用的手段，我們就會在適當時機考慮採用」。
希臘自一八三二年獨立以來，一再要求英國歸還這些雕像──在英國被稱為「埃爾金大理石雕像」──英國外交官埃爾金勛爵十九世紀初由雅典的帕德嫩神廟中搬走了這些雕塑，當時希臘是被鄂圖曼土耳其帝國統治。
Photo: Bloomberg
照片：彭博社
倫敦的大英博物館拒絕歸還這些雕塑──裝飾這建於西元前五世紀的宏偉建築、約一百六十公尺長之橫飾帶的一半──說這是埃爾金依據與鄂圖曼土耳其帝國的合約合法購得的。大英博物館表示，這些雕塑「是屬於每個人的共同遺產」。
路透社二月十八日曾一窺歐盟二十七國與英國就其未來關係進行談判的立場草案，其內容包括要英國「將非法移走的文物歸還其原籍國，或加以賠償」。
這份文件並未具體說明所指的是哪些文物，但一位歐盟外交官說，草案的這部份是應希臘要求，並在義大利的支持下加入的。
Photo: Bloomberg
照片：彭博社
上個月，希臘文化部長莉娜‧門多尼稱埃爾金為「連環竊賊」，利用非法手段奪取了這些大理石雕。門多尼表示，她相信雕像物歸原主的時機已經成熟。
(台北時報林俐凱編譯)
FOLLOW UP
讀後練習
Questions
1. How old is the Parthenon Temple? When and how were parts of the structure moved from Greece to the UK?
2. Name the representative cultural objects of your country/culture? Are they within your country now?
3. Why do nations treasure their cultural heritage and considered it to be so significant?
4. Do you think cultural objects should be kept at their original location or at a central location for easy access by visitors?
(Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)
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