... taking important steps to promote the restitution of antiquities that were looted by other states?

Our Italian Prime Minister,Silvio Berlusconi, two days ago, on Saturday August 30, signed a 'friendship pact' with the Libyan leader Colonel Gadhafi.

As part of the agreement, Italy also returned the statue of La Venere di Cirene , a Roman copy of an unknown Hellenistic sculpture. The Venus was found by Italian troops in 1913 near the ruins of the Graeco -Roman settlement of Cyrene and was taken to Rome, where she had been 'living' in the Museo Nazionale Romano .

More interesting links could be found on this blog.

Another Italian project, the 'repatriation' of the famous Axum Obelisk (which had been standing in front of FAO, near Circus Maximus ) has also now come to a close after innumerable difficulties and the inauguration in Ethiopia of the re-erected monument is scheduled for Thursday, Sept 4.