It is adamant in its position that the Parthenon Sculptures could be reunited in Athens only temporarily through a loan, the British Museum said in a statement by a spokesman to the Cypriot News Agency.
Asked to clarify whether British Museum President George Osborne's statements to LBC about a possible "deal" with Greece over the sculptures meant anything other than their loan to Athens, the spokeswoman said: "The Museum is always willing to consider requests to lend any items from the collection."
The possibility of a loan is rejected by Athens as it implies and requires acceptance of British ownership of the sculptures.
The spokeswoman noted that the Museum is lending 4.000-5,000 objects each year and that 170 ancient Greek exhibits are currently touring Australia and New Zealand "where they will reach and inspire new audiences before returning to the Museum."
The spokesperson added that these beautiful works of art are loved by a global community. "We believe that public access should be at the heart of these discussions, as too often discussions are limited to legalistic and antagonistic backgrounds rather than focusing on how to share the Sculptures with a wider world," she added.
According to the London-based foundation spokeswoman, "the role of a contemporary museum is to provide a place where these objects provoke creativity and help people understand the past, shape the present and prepare for the future. We have always believed that these works help visitors embrace that vision."
Her statement concluded as follows: "Deepening public access, creating new ways and opportunities for collections to be shared and understood around the world, remains at the core of what the British Museum seeks to achieve."
Earlier in the day, Ms. Osborne had said that "there is a deal that can be done" with the Greek side and that we should "sit down as reasonable people", but in the end he said he meant a possible shipment of the sculptures to Athens for a while before returning them to London, i.e. a loan.
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