Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Paris , SANA –Attending a forum organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ‘UNESCO’ under the title “Iraqi Heritage in Danger”, experts and diplomats asserted that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria “ISIS” terrorist organization depends on destroying the historical sites in Iraq and sell the archeological pieces to find a source for funding its terrorist acts.
AFP quoted the UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova as saying that she informed all the UNESCO member states and the major museums in the world and all the concerned bodies about those issues, calling upon them to pay a greater attention to prevent the looting of the Iraqi heritage.
Bokova added that the UNESCO called upon the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution to prevent the trafficking in any Iraqi or Syrian archeological pieces with the aim of illegal smuggling of the archeological pieces.
She indicated that the UNESCO is exchanging all the required data and information with the forces which launch airstrikes against the ISIS positions to avoid the bombardment of the archeological sites as the ISIS use many of the palaces and archeological sites as bases.
Director of Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage in the city of Erbil, Abdullah Khorshid Qader said that ISIS terrorists blew up the tomb of Prophet Jonah and many institutes in Mosel in addition to destroying Assyrian palaces.
For his part, Hussein Rashid, Director of Baghdad Museum, pointed to the standing coordination between international mafias interested in antiquities and the ISIS terrorists who conducted excavations to sale the unearthed pieces in Europe and Asia via neighboring countries.
French Ambassador to UNESCO Philip Lalio warned that the Iraqi heritage is facing innumerable risks, indicating that combating antiquities trafficking equals combating terrorism per se.
R. Milhem / Ghossoun
