In the early 2000s, the British government tried to loan Greece the Parthenon friezes owned by the British Museum in exchange for Athens’ support for the 2012 London Olympics, archives released Friday show, news agencies reported. Presse and Agerpres.

Parthenon frieze in the British MuseumPhoto: Jay Shaw Baker-NurPhoto / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia Images

The episode in the bilateral dispute comes in a context where tensions remain high between the two countries over the famous marbles, which Athens has been demanding for decades to return.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently canceled at the last minute a meeting with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was visiting London, accusing him of breaking his promise not to raise the issue publicly during the trip.

London says the sculptures were “legally acquired” in 1802, while Greece says they were “looted” when the country was under Ottoman rule.

Declassified British official archives, including correspondence from 2002 and 2003, show that the two governments were close to a deal at the time.

“Strong Exchange Currency”

Greece offered to return the friezes as a long-term loan to display them in Athens, in a new museum at the foot of the Acropolis, which was due to open to coincide with the 2004 Olympic Games in the Greek capital.

At the same time, Tony Blair’s Labor government mobilized to support London’s – ultimately successful – bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

In this context, Tony Blair’s cultural adviser Sarah Hunter wrote in a note to the prime minister that the friezes could be a “powerful bargaining chip”.

She suggested the government “publicly and privately encourage” the British Museum to “find arrangements within 12 months”.

In its memo, the council welcomed the long-term loan solution proposed by Athens and condemned the British Museum’s “intransigence”. She also supported the idea of ​​a bilateral agreement that would provide the basis for this loan.

Visibly convinced, Tony Blair hand-wrote “yes” on the note, suggesting that David Owen, the former foreign secretary, be tasked with “negotiating it”.

The initiative remained fruitless, and four months later, in August 2003, the British Museum said that its officials “cannot foresee any circumstances in which they will be able to comply with the Greek Government’s request”.

Recently, museum officials have supported the idea of ​​such a long-term loan, but the conservative government has said it strongly opposes the return of these antiquities to Greece.

  • Also read: Parthenon treasures: why some 2,500-year-old sculptures fueled tensions between Britain and Greece?