At the museum where the statuette was on display to the assembled crowd, Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the SCA told reporters that the return of this statuette embodied the efforts of Egypt and Arab countries to protect and preserve the Iraqi heritage, most of which has come under threat of deterioration and robbery since the American-British invasion of 2003.
Such efforts, Hawass asserted, were exerted from the first day of the invasion with Egypt having sent letters to all the authorities concerned urging them to protect and preserve Iraq's monuments during the invasion. Regrettably, however, the majority of the objects on display at the Iraqi National Museum were stolen, while several archaeological sites were damaged. As a result, Hawass continued, Egypt sent another warning letter to all international museums calling on them not to buy any Iraqi objects as they were stolen and illegally-smuggled antiquities.
Hawass explained that six years ago Egypt did not have any archaeological representatives at any of its 24 border gates with the exception of Cairo International Airport. Egypt now has an SCA archaeological representative at 19 gates, which for its part has tightened security and prevented people trying to smuggle any antiquities, whether from Egypt or any other country.
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