“We hope for some sensitivity from the military”

A special UNESCO team will assess the damage to Iraq’s cultural heritage caused by the war, which poses numerous threats to this historic legacy, said Mounir Bouchenaki, assistant director of the organization, in a conversation with Tierramérica.

ROME – In the global mobilization of archeologists and experts to preserve in Iraq the remnants of 6,000 years of history, the assistant director of Culture at UNESCO, Mounir Bouchenaki, stands at the helm.

As the third week of the war in Iraq rolled onward, the official from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization spoke with Tierramérica in an exclusive dialogue about the size of the threat hovering over one of the most important cultural legacies for eastern and western civilizations alike.


- Can the artifacts of what is considered the cradle of civilization be preserved in the middle of war?
- So far it has been very difficult to carry out any concrete effort to protect this cultural heritage of humanity. UNESCO is but a distant witness to what is occurring, even when an appeal has been issued so that all treasures be respected and protected, just like human beings. The only thing the institution can do is inform the parties involved, the public and the United Nations about the international conventions and recommendations existing in cases of armed conflict.


- What steps has UNESCO taken to protect the cultural heritage located in Iraq?
- The first step was to create a special task force for Iraq covering all aspects, particularly in the areas of education and culture. The special team is drawing up a strategy to be developed once the hostilities cease. Furthermore, experts in archeology, museum sciences and monument restoration were selected from different countries to be part of a commission that will go to Iraq, when conditions allow, to conduct an assessment of the damage.

- What are the principal threats to Iraq’s cultural wealth?
- A war brings with it multiple threats. One is the bombings, which can destroy historic buildings and museums even if they are not a target of attack. Even the shock waves caused by missiles can be deadly for ancient monuments with fragile structures. The experience of the first Gulf War is that during combat there is a tendency for archeological sites to be damaged.

- What is the likely fate of historic cities like Ur, near a military base, or the tree of Adam, located in an area of chemical factories, or the remnants of the Tower of Babel?
- That is part of the responsibility of Baghdad’s authorities. The Iraqi government signed the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954), which obligates the parties in conflict to respect cultural heritage. The combatants must ensure that the area in dispute does not contain archeological or cultural sites. In relation to the thousands of ruins found in Iraqi territory, UNESCO presented the United States and Britain with a list of the most important sites, as well as of the museums, with the hope that the information would prevent their destruction.

- Do you think the existing international laws are sufficient to protect the historic sites in Iraq?
- The normative texts can only have effective power if they are respected, but in this case the 1954 Convention was not signed by all nations of the world. As such there is only the moral authority of the laws as afar as conservation and protection of cultural heritage in case of conflict. We hope there is sensitivity on the part of the military forces involved to respect the laws.

- Another problem is the trafficking of ancient artifacts. Will the war foment that type of crime?
- That is one of the biggest problems we have faced since the first Gulf War. Archeologists from around the world have denounced the plundering of thousands of objects to be traded illegally. UNESCO is working to find and recover them.

- Has UNESCO calculated how much it would cost to reconstruct the cultural heritage of Iraq?
- It is really impossible to assess the costs without knowing the extent of the destruction. We must wait, and hope that this conflict ends quickly so that we can send humanitarian and cultural aid to Iraq.

* Carla Maldonado is a Tierramérica contributor.