Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-04-21

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Ancient lekythos returned

[02] Joint actions in tourism

[01] Ancient lekythos returned

The procedure to repatriate the ancient artifact was completed last Thursday and in a few days it will be taken to the museum's conservation workshops, where it will remain for two months.

It is a funerary lekythos depicting a farewell banquet for the deceased, in a classic farewell scene. It was presented at an international antiquities dealers exhibition in 2007 in Maastricht, where it was put up for auction by a Swiss antiquities dealer.

After a series of negotiations, the Swiss dealer decided to hand over the lekythos to the Greek government in an out-of-court settlement, without reservations or conditions. It was delivered to a representative of the Greek embassy in Berne and then crated in the customs free zone in Basel before being transported to Greece.

In statements at the press conference, Liapis said that the ministry was considering an exhibition at the New Acropolis Museum in the autumn that would feature all the ancient artifacts repatriated to Italy, which would be completed with artifacts repatriated to Greece.

Liapis was then shown around the National Archaeological Museum's Egyptian collection, made up of some 1,200 sculptures, that will open officially on May 14.

Caption: Culture Minister Mihalis Liapis on Monday inspects a 4th-century B.C. marble funerary lekythos returned to Greece from the collection of a private antiquities dealer in Switzerland that he presented to the press at the National Archaeological Museum the same day. ANA-MPA - Orestis Panagiotou.

[02] Joint actions in tourism

In view of the new tourism year, Spiliotopoulos said that his ministry, from the very first moment through specialisation of the tourism product, placed emphasis on Athens as a destination for exhbitions and conferences, as well as for short (City Break) holidays. In that framework, he said, a special promotional campaign for Athens was already underway.

Spiliotopoulos praised the climate of cooperation between the ministry and the municipality, adding that during the meeting they had ascertained margins for joint actions aimed at the tourism and cultural development of Athens.

The minister and mayor agreed to cooperation between ministry and municpality on a series of issues aimed at better coordination and organisation of sanitation and Athens' image.

It was also announced that tourism information booths (Info Kiosks) would be set up soon, possibly in central Syntagma Square, to facilitate visitors to Athens.

Caption: Tourism development minister Aris Spiliotopoulos (L) and Athens mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis(R) on Monday 21 April 2008 at the Tourism Ministry. ANA-MPA/PANTELIS SAITAS

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