[CPProt.net] Kingdom's role in protecting Iraq's cultural wealth lauded

[Ellie Bruggeman]

Kingdom's role in protecting Iraq's cultural wealth lauded

AMMAN (JT) — Participants in the opening ceremony of a training course 
on Iraq's cultural heritage preservation highlighted Jordan's role in 
protecting the Arab neighbour's cultural wealth, particularly 
archaeological sites.

Sponsors of the programme commended Jordan's commitment to helping the 
Iraqis preserve their precious heritage, which has been under threat in 
the aftermath of the US-led invasion of the country.

The 60-day training course, which involves Iraqi antiquities officials, 
is organised and sponsored by Japan International Cooperation Agency 
(JICA) and the Department of Antiquities. The programme is part of 
Japan's reconstruction assistance to Iraq in cooperation with Germany, 
France and UNESCO.

Trainees will receive theoretical and practical training on excavation, 
antiquities maintenance and reconstruction. The training will take place 
in the northern Um Qais historical area.

The opening ceremony of “Cultural Heritage Training Course” for the 
Iraqis was held yesterday and attended by representatives from JICA and 
co-sponsoring governments and organisations, in addition to Jordanian 
antiquities officials and the participants.

In remarks at the ceremony, Japanese Ambassador Koichi Obata underscored 
the importance of transferring expertise to Iraqi archaeological 
officials, noting that the programme comes as part of the international 
community's efforts to help reconstruct the war-torn country. He 
expressed his thanks to Jordan, UNESCO and the other contributors to the 
project.

Other speakers also highlighted the need to protect Iraq's heritage and 
tackle the damage it has received, vowing full cooperation to achieve 
these goals. They included Director General of the Department of 
Antiquities Fawaz Khreishah, Director of the French Institute of the 
Near East in Amman Jean-Francious Salles, Hisatoshi Okubo, 
representative of Iraq unit at JICA's Jordan office, and officials from 
the German embassy and UNESCO.

Japan organised in February and March a training course titled 
“Comprehensive Preservation and Management Skill for Cultural Heritage” 
in cooperation with the governments of Jordan, France and Germany, and 
UNESCO. The course that started yesterday was a second step of this 
joint effort to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq in the field of 
cultural heritage.

The Japanese government has implemented various courses in which a total 
of 300 Iraqis were trained in the fields of electricity, statistics, 
solid waste management, water resources management and education in 
addition to cultural heritage. Jordan, which signed with JICA a third 
country agreement, has put all its facilities and know-how in these 
fields at the disposal of the Iraqis.

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