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01.02.2010
UNESCO CALLS FOR BAN IN TRADE IN HAITIAN ARTIFACTS
DAVOS, Switzerland, Associated Press - The United Nations´s culture and education agency has called for a ban in the trade of Haitian artifacts to prevent the pillaging of cultural treasures in the aftermath of its devastating earthquake.
The director-general of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, said in an interview with The Associated Press that the agency is launching a campaign to protect art collections in the Caribbean country\\\'s damaged museums and historical sites \\\"so that we don´t find these objects in Christie´s tomorrow.\\\"
The U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization launched the appeal after learning \\\"a lesson from Iraq and Afghanistan,\\\" where cultural objects were looted after the U.S.-led invasions.
\\\"This time, we´re trying to be involved in the very beginning,\\\" Bokova said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, a gathering of international business and political leaders in this Swiss resort.
Bokova appealed to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for security forces to protect Haitian heritage sites and urged a Security Council resolution temporarily banning trade in Haitian cultural property, to be monitored by Interpol. She stressed the need to verify the provenance of cultural property, especially items purchased over the Internet.
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