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UNESCO Director-General Requests Security Council Meeting

Islamic State Fighters Devastate Ancient Heritage of Mosul: The shocking footage showing IS fighters destroying ancient art works with sledgehammers in the Museum of Mosul sparked international outrage and most severe concerns among archeologists around the globe.

On Thursday, Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO seized the President of the United Nations Security Council to ask him to convene an emergency meeting of the Security Council on the protection of Iraq’s cultural heritage as an integral element for the country’s security.

“This attack is far more than a cultural tragedy – this is also a security issue as it fuels sectarianism, violent extremism and conflict in Iraq”, Bokova said. “The systematic destruction of iconic components of Iraq’s rich and diverse heritage that we have been witnessing over the past months is intolerable and it must stop immediately”, said the Director-General, reiterating her numerous previous statements on this matter.
Seven large statues from the UNESCO world Heritage site of Hatra, as well as unique artefacts from the archeological sites of Ninewah and the Palace of Sennahareb have been destroyed or defaced in the Mosul Museum, among many other pieces.

The destruction of heritage in armed conflicts will be a key issue for the 39th Session of World Heritage Committee in Bonn, 28 June – 8 July 2015.

Read more on the website of UNESCO

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