London, Thanasis Gavos

The newly appointed interim director of the British Museum Mark Jones states that he can imagine an agreement for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Athens, however speaking of “mutual loans”.

In his first interview since taking office, with the Times, Mr Jones is asked if he could see himself in two years’ time overseeing a settlement for the return of the Sculptures.

“Yes,” he replies. “I could easily imagine a relationship between us and the Acropolis Museum that would involve mutual loans. Why not; They have some pretty cool items too.”

Mr Jones says that what really matters and should be considered in such cases is not the legal facts of ownership and the past, but the present and the future. “What we should be thinking about is where these objects will generate the most interest,” he comments.

He also believes that the argument used against the repatriation of cultural treasures such as the Parthenon Sculptures is based on creating a precedent that “would open the floodgates”, that is, leading to more claims to repatriate objects.

“That’s why it’s important to do arrangements with people around the world showing the benefits of sharing objects, of turning objects of contention into objects of mutual cooperation instead of causes of enmity,” he explains.

Mark Jones also confirms his goal of recording his entire collection British Museumabout 8 million objects, within the next five years.

The decision was prompted by the revelation that nearly 2,000 objects had been stolen from the museum’s warehouses over several years, a revelation that brought the veteran 72-year-old Mr. Jones to the London institution’s directorship.