MP accuses US of transferring Iraq’s Jewish archive to Israel

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Tourism and Antiquities Parliamentary Committee accused the US of transferring Iraq‘s Jewish archive to Israel.

The head of the Committee, Bakir Hama Sideeq, stated to IraqiNews.com “We have information that the US transferred Iraq‘s Jewish archive to Israel,” noting that “Years passed as we call the US to bring back the Archive without response.”

“According to our information, the US, UK, Germany, Spain, Poland and Italy has participated in seizing the Iraqi antiquities in addition to some Arabic countries like Lebanon and United Arab Emirates that handed back the antiquities that they have,” he added.

“We can add Iran to these countries,” he remarked.

“Some countries took some Iraqi antiquities to update them according to agreements concluded in 1970s yet they did not return them,” he assured.

He called “These countries to bring back these antiquities to Iraq.”

It is worth mentioning that an official from the U.S. Foreign Ministry has denied allegation that Iraq’s Jewish archive has been smuggled outside the United State to Israel.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Elizabeth Jones assured that the archive has not been smuggled and it is in the United States to be “restored and photographed.”

Earlier, Iraq rejected the offer made by the United States to bring back half of the Iraqi Jewish Archive, previously transferred from Baghdad to the United States during the US-led invasion of the country, insisting that Baghdad had to restore the whole archive.