Reply #13: Here's my point of view

[realisticphish]

which may offend some people, but certainly isn't intended to.

If a given artifact can be safely preserved and viewable by the public/researchers, than there should be no hesitation whatsoever about returning it to the nation of origin.

If it CAN'T be... we get into a debate. If nation A is unable to properly house an artifact, then I don't see a problem with a nation such as Britain, the U.S., Germany, etc, holding onto it until it can be safely housed. No point in returning something which will degrade to nothing in a few years.

I understand that there is often a deep spiritual/cultural significance to an object, but as long as the holding facility enters into a specific agreement with the country of origin about what constitutes proper storage, I don't see a problem in waiting until the country can afford to house it properly (or is stable enough to house it properly).

However, this case is pretty cut and dry. Greece (and Egypt) both have excellent museum facilities, and there should be no debate on these items being returned immediately