The Jordanian authorities said Wednesday that they planned to hand back to the Iraqi government 2,466 artefacts looted from Iraq since the US-led invasion, according to dpa. "The artefacts will be handed over on Sunday to the Iraqi Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Mohammad al-Oraibi, who is currently in Jordan to attend the Arab Tourism Council meeting," Jordanian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Maha Khatib said. The pieces were seized by the Jordanian customs authorities in 22 anti-smuggling operations, Khatib said. Jordan has actively cooperated with the Interpol which supplied the Jordanian government with adequate information about the Iraqi antiquities which were stolen from museums inside Iraq after the downfall of the former Iraqi regime of President Saddam Hussein, she added.
