Jordan Times
Wednesday, March 3, 2004
Attempt to smuggle Iraqi artifacts foiled
By Khalid Dalal
AMMAN The Department of Customs foiled an attempt to smuggle several pieces of priceless Iraqi artifacts near the Kingdom's northern border, a senior department official said on Tuesday.
The artifacts were confiscated at the border checkpoint of Ramtha and the smuggler was referred to the concerned authorities for investigation, the department director general, Mahmoud Qteishat, said.
The smuggled pieces, which were hidden in a secret compartment in the smuggler's car, were sent to the Antiquities Department to be examined for authenticity, he added.
The smuggler was carrying several Sumerian sculptures, statuettes and busts, historical metal coins, pottery and bronze plates and glassware.
All these antiques, which date back hundreds of years, will be kept in the Kingdom until we coordinate with the concerned authorities in Iraq to return them, said Qteishat.
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime after the US-UK war and invasion of Iraq, Jordanian customs officials have handled more than 120 smuggling cases thousands of ancient artifacts dating from the birth of civilization were stolen from Iraqi museums in the wake of war.
The Kingdom cooperates with international organizations and regional countries to combat the smuggling of Iraqi treasures.
Amman has intensified inspections at its eastern borders with Iraq to stem the smuggling of Iraqi antiquities, and stationed experts at the border to examine all suspected items.
According to the Associated Press, the Paris-based Interpol has provided Jordan with descriptions of several stolen treasures as a reference for local customs officials who are monitoring smuggling in coordination with UN art experts,
Iraq's museums held priceless, millennia-old collections from the Assyrian, Sumerian and Babylonian cultures, the agency reported yesterday.