Cablegate: Danish Exhibit Company Presses On With

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 004444

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA, L/NEA AND ECA MARIA KOUROUPAS
PARIS FOR US MISSION TO UNESCO

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SCUL MOPS KPAO ECON PGOV PREL DA IZ
SUBJECT: DANISH EXHIBIT COMPANY PRESSES ON WITH
PLANS FOR IRAQI ANTIQUITIES ("NIMRUD GOLD")
EXHIBIT TOUR

REFTEL: BAGHDAD 3363

1. Summary. Denmark-based United Exhibits Group
(UEG) is in Baghdad to secure an addendum to its
exclusive July 2004 agreement with the Iraqi
government to exhibit Iraq's "Nimrud Gold"
collection internationally for five years. The
initial agreement called for that tour to begin by
October 2005. The amendment pushes that start
date back to June 24, 2006. Additionally, UEG is
now requesting U.S. military ground and air
support to move the collection from its current
depository in Iraq's Central Bank to Baghdad
International Airport (BIAP) and on to either a
European transit point such as Frankfurt or
directly to the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington. The initial public showing of the
exhibit would be at the Smithsonian's Sackler
Gallery in June, followed by a still to be
determined series of major European cities. End
summary.

2. On October 23, Director Teit Ritzau and Iraqi-
Danish Project Manager Dafir Mann of the Denmark-
based United Exhibits Group (UEG) called on PA
Counselor and CAO to seek support for UEG's
project to organize a 5-year international tour of
Iraq's "Nimrud Gold" collection. The principal
purpose of Ritzau's and Mann's visit to Baghdad
was to secure an addendum to their initial July
2004 exclusive agreement with the Iraqi Interim
Government to tour this collection
internationally. The addendum would postpone the
tour's start date from October 2005 to June 24,
2006.

3. According to Ritzau, Iraq's current Minister of
Culture, Nouri-Al Rawi, supports both the original
agreement and the addendum. Ritzau expressed
confidence that UEG would move forward with the
tour and start on (the new) schedule in
Washington. Dafir Mann related that he would head
up both the "Nimrud Gold" tour and the newly
founded, private Iraqi Cultural Project
Organization (ICPO), which plans to open an office
in Baghdad after the December 15 elections. ICPO
would both coordinate the "Nimrud Gold" tour and
organize other Iraqi cultural programs in the
future. Presumably, such activities would be for-
profit and not sponsored by the Danish government.

4. Currently, the "Nimrud Gold" collection, which
Ritzau characterized as the "crown jewels of
Iraq," resides in the vaults of Iraq's Central
Bank. An unresolved challenge for the planned
2006 tour remains the security situation. To get
the collection out of Iraq safely, Ritzau is
proposing that the U.S. military move the entire
collection (less than one cubic meter/60 kg
overall) from the Central Bank to Baghdad's
International Airport and then to either a
European transit point (Frankfurt) or directly to
Washington.

5. Post understands that the Denton Amendment
(Title 10, Chap 22, Section 402, FM 41-10, D-5)
precludes the use of military assets to transport
non-military items other than for humanitarian
assistance. However, our Dept of the Treasury
representative here advises that a mechanism does
exist for military support to the movement of gold
that might be employed in this case so long as a
continuous chain of custody can be maintained by
UEG and Iraqi officials. We have not yet explored

SIPDIS
that option in detail with either Treasury or the
military.

6. Ritzau assured us that the collection is soon
to be inventoried, appraised and fully insured
against all losses by Lloyd's of London. Following
the exhibit's planned June 2006 opening at the
Sackler, UEG is planning to tour the collection
through 6-7 major European cities. Prior to the
start of any European tour, however, much needed
restoration work on the collection would be done
with the assistance of the Smithsonian. According
to Ritzau, Smithsonian officials are exploring the
possibility of "a Fulbright scholarship" to go to
Iraq's new State Board of Antiquities and Heritage
(SBAH) Director, Dr. Donny George, so that he
might be present in Washington for the restoration
work. Dr. George has not confirmed to us that he
would be available for such a project, even were
some sort of grant to be offered.

7. On October 26, PAC and CAO met with Minister of
Culture (MoC) Nouri Al-Rawi, who stated that the
original agreement had been signed by the previous
MoC but not reviewed at the Council of Ministers
level or approved by the National Assembly. He
stated that the new government will review the
agreement and amendment, in any case, in April
2006 and confirm at that time whether or not to
proceed with the new June 24, 2006 exhibition
commencement date.

8. Comment: In recent conversations with Dr.
George (REFTEL), Post has understood him to be
generally supportive of the idea of a tour of the
Nimrud Gold at some point but with significant
reservations about the timing. Touring the Nimrud
Gold around the world before it has been on
display in Iraq might be misunderstood and cause
political fallout, not only for the museum but
also for the Iraqi and U.S. governments. Dr.
George also has expressed to us concern about
logistical and security matters, such as accessing
the Central Bank to pack the collection properly.
Although UEG repeatedly assured us that the 6-
month delay addendum has been signed, we still
have no confirmation from either the MoC or SBAH
that it has, in fact, actually been signed or that
the proposed postponement plan fully addresses Dr.
George's concerns. End Comment.

Satterfield

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