British Museum in secret talks to send back Elgin Marbles to Greece

Talks raise the prospect one of the most bitter and longest-running cultural disputes may be resolved after more than 200 years.

A panel of the 5th century BC sculptures in the British Museum.

The British Museum and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis are in the “advanced stage” of “secret talks” over the “possible return” of the Elgin Marbles.

Former chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne, the museum’s chairman, has also met two other senior Greek ministers in London since being appointed last year to discuss repatriating the 2500-year-old Parthenon sculptures to Athens.

Mr Osborne met Mr Mitsotakis at a five-star hotel in Knightsbridge last Monday and the fate of the sculptures was the only topic on the agenda. The pair first held “exploratory talks” in November last year at the Greek ambassador’s Mayfair residence, according to Ta Nea, an Athens newspaper.

The talks raise the prospect that one of the most bitter and longest-running cultural disputes may be resolved after more than 200 years. The marble frieze was removed from the Parthenon in 1801 under the orders of the seventh Lord Elgin, who was Britain’s ambassador to the Ottoman empire, with, he said, the permission of the occupying authorities.

Elgin sold the marbles to the UK government in 1816 and their ownership was soon transferred to the British Museum’s trustees. More than 75m of the Parthenon frieze, as well as 17 pedimental figures, have been housed at the museum in London ever since and are regarded as one of the most important parts of its collection.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Picture: AFP

The Greek government first made a formal request for the return of the sculptures in 1983. The museum’s longstanding position has been that it is happy to consider loans of objects to countries that do not claim ownership of them. Athens has rejected suggestions it would borrow the marbles, as that would implicitly acknowledge British ownership of them.

Boris Johnson and Liz Truss both rejected the idea that the marbles would be returned to Greece while they were prime minister. However, Mr Osborne indicated in June he was prepared to shift from a hardline approach. He said “there is a deal to be done” over the marbles, if Britain and Greece “approach this without a load of preconditions, without a load of red lines”.

In July, Jonathan Williams, the museum’s deputy director, called for an “active ‘Parthenon partnership’ with our friends and colleagues in Greece”.

A deal may include returning the sculptures to Athens, where Greece has built a museum to house them, in exchange for other treasures being lent to the British Museum.

Meetings between Mr Osborne and Greek ministers are the clearest indication yet that a deal may be close. The latest round of talks took place shortly after Mr Mitsotakis was received by the King at Windsor Castle.

Speaking four hours after his meeting with Mr Osborne, Mr Mitsotakis said at the London School of Economics that the return of the marbles was “possible” and he had seen “progress” on the issue. “A win-win solution can be found that will result in the reunification of the Parthenon sculptures in Greece, while at the same time taking into account concerns that the British Museum may have,” he said.

A Greek source told Ta Nea: “The devil is in the details. An agreement is 90 per cent complete, but a critical 10 per cent remains unresolved. It’s hard to get there but it’s not impossible.”

Another source said the museum was not planning to restitute any objects, as it does not have the legal power to do so, but was seeking “new and imaginative partnerships”.

As well as meeting Mr Mitsotakis twice, Mr Osborne also met Nikos Dendias, the Greek Foreign Minister, in October, and has also discussed the situation with Giorgos Gerapetritis, one of the Prime Minister’s closest aides. It is understood the meeting requests came from the Greek side.

Polling shows a majority of Britons support returning the sculptures to Greece. Some 53 per cent of adults said they should be repatriated, according to YouGov.

The British Museum did not deny Mr Osborne had held talks with Mr Mitsotakis.

It would “talk to anyone, including the Greek government” about taking forward a new Parthenon partnership.

The Sunday Times