MP wants Elgin Marbles returned for Athens Olympics
A MP has suggested that the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum should be returned to Athens when the city hosts the Olympic Games in 2004.
Edward O'Hara and a Greek minister have submitted the proposal to the Council of Europe's culture and science committee.
The 43-nation council aims to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law across the continent.
Formerly known as the Parthenon Marbles, the ancient Greek sculptures that decorated the Parthenon on top the Acropolis in Athens were removed by Lord Elgin, Britain's ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, about 200 years ago and sent to London.
Under the MP for Knowsley South's proposal, the marbles would remain in Greece during the Olympics, after which Britain and Greece could discuss their ownership status.
He said that one possibility could be for the marbles to be housed in the Athens archaeological museum, but under the official ownership of the British Archaeological School in the Greek capital.
However, in an interview with the Greek daily To Vima on Saturday, Tony Blair rejected demands by Greece for the sculptures' return, saying they belong to the British Museum.
The issue has been the subject of a decades-long diplomatic dispute between the two countries. Athens is planning to build a museum in the capital to house the collection.
Greece disputes the British Museum's claim that the 2,500-year-old marbles are well looked after in London, arguing that the artifacts were damaged in the 1930s when they were scrubbed clean.
