LONDON, April 19 (UPI) -- Ancient Greek sculptures known as the Elgin Marbles could return to Greece for the first time in 200 years, if only temporarily, their British owners say.
British Museum Director Neil MacGregor indicated that, theoretically, the only reason the sculptures haven't been loaned out is that the Greek government hasn't acknowledged the museum's ownership, Bloomberg News reported Thursday.
"There is no reason why any object in the (British Museum) -- if it is fit to travel -- shouldn't spend three months, six months somewhere else," MacGregor told Bloomberg News. "So, in principle, absolutely yes. The difficulty at the moment which would stand in the way of that is that the Greek government has formally, and recently, refused to acknowledge that the trustees are the owners of the objects. Therefore, in law the trustees could not possibly lend them."
Victoria Solomonidis, cultural counselor at the Greek Embassy in London, called MacGregor's comments "most welcome news."
"The Greek side is interested in the reunification of the Parthenon and the issue of ownership does not come into it," she said.
The pieces have been in Britain since the 19th century when British Ambassador Thomas Elgin removed them from the Acropolis.
