The leader of the U.K.’s opposition Labour Party has said he would return the Parthenon Marbles to Athens if he is elected as Britain’s prime minister.
Jeremy Corbyn, in comments to Greek newspaper Ta Nea, said the marbles belonged in Greece.
“They were made in Greece, and that is where they were for thousands of years until they were taken by Lord Elgin. We should be engaged in constructive talks with the Greek government about returning the sculptures,” he was quoted as saying.
The British politician’s comments come in a week when a UNESCO committee heard international calls for the marbles to be repatriated to their Athens home.
The Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property called for talks between Britain and Greece over the return of the marbles to Athens, with no less than 12 nations throwing their weight behind the demand.
UNESCO’s intergovernmental committee meeting took place in Paris on Wednesday and Thursday and called for “both sides to find a mutually acceptable solution to this long-term issue”.
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