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Minister of Culture invites George Clooney to Greece

As soon as the minister of culture heard of the question on the Parthenon Marbles and how the famous start answered he immediately sent a letter thanking him and asking him to come to Greece and see the new Acropolis museum, tour monuments, and enjoy the sun.

Honorable, Mr Clooney

Addressing you as Minister of Culture and Sports of the Hellenic Republic, but I think I speak for all Greeks , as I convey a heartfelt thank you for your statement during the press conference at the Berlin Film Festival, which concerned the Parthenon Marbles .
Indeed, as you said, it is " just and good "to return the looted masterpieces of Greek antiquity where they belong - the Parthenon . It is " just and good," not only because they belong to the history of Greek culture, but precisely because, through our history, they brighten world culture.
Hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world, each year, admire the Parthenon as one of the supreme achievements of the human spirit. And at the same time they are witness to a historical desecration, which continues in the form of ignorant injustice. Only one decision can redress this injustice: the decision to return the Parthenon Marbles to the place where they were carved, next to those sculptures which were illegally and forcibly detached. This is the request of leading historians and archaeologists, and citizens' committeesfrom Europe, the USA, and Australia. This is what a large proportion of the British public believe, and this, of course, is what the Greek state has been steadily claiming.
Already from 1987, the issue of the Parthenon Marbles is permanently on the agenda of the Conference of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or their repatriation in case of illegal Acquisition . Upon our request, the international organization has recently informed the British government that is ready to move into institutional mediation between the two parties .
My compatriots and I are glad that you are publicly converting with this endless wave of sympathy and claim . We are not surprised, after all, by your stance. Not only your new movie, but your whole course shows you to be an active citizen and a creative artist who adamantly defends what is " just and good."
Thank you again, and I hope that you will accept the invitation to spend a few days in Greece. To tour a multitude of Greek antiquities kept intact under the Mediterranean sun. And, of course, to visit the new Acropolis Museum, opposite the sacred rock, where vacant spots are waiting for the ( involuntarily ... ) relocated Parthenon Marbles .

Most Sincerely

PANOS PANAGIOTOPOULOS
Minister of Culture and Sport