Sawt Falasteen - Parthenon Marbles loom large as Greek PM holds talks in London

Britain's Keir Starmer hosted his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis amid reports that the centuries-old saga over the priceless sculptures could be moving towards a resolution.

The Marbles overshadowed Mitsotakis' last official visit to Britain, when Starmer's predecessor Rishi Sunak cancelled a planned meeting at the last minute after the Greek leader's public comments on the contentious issue reportedly irked the UK side.

Starmer, who took charge in July, underlined "the importance of the UK-Greece relationship", his office said in a readout of the talks which made no mention of the sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles.

It noted the pair "agreed to double-down" on joint actions to tackle illegal migration. It reiterated "their unwavering support for Ukraine" and "the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza".

However, Starmer's spokesman told reporters Britain's position on the Marbles has not changed and that the issue remained a matter for the British Museum.

"We have no plans to change the law that would permit a permanent move" of the sculptures back to Greece, the spokesman said.

"Decisions relating to the care and management and (the) sculptures are a matter for the trustees for the British Museum, which is operationally independent of the government."

- 'Lost his marbles' -

Ahead of the meeting, Mitsotakis said he was "firmly convinced" the sculptures will return to Athens more than two centuries after their departure for Britain.

"Discussions with the British Museum are continuing," he told ANT1 TV on Saturday. His spokesman said the issue would "obviously" come up in London.

Starmer is more open to the masterpieces' return to Athens than Sunak, according to UK media.

Sky News reported Monday that Mitsotakis and his foreign minister had held at least two "private meetings" with British Museum officials, including museum chairman George Osborne, this year.

The Guardian newspaper said the talks were moving towards "an agreement in principle".

Sunak axing the meeting a year ago was seen as a diplomatic slap in the face to Mitsotakis, and the latest example of the dispute poisoning bilateral relations.

The Greek leader, an ardent campaigner for the Marbles' return, had told the BBC at the time that keeping part of the Parthenon friezes outside Greece was tantamount to "cut(ting) the Mona Lisa in half".

Starmer, then head of the opposition, later told the House of Commons that Sunak had "obviously lost his marbles" in cancelling the meeting.

But Mitsotakis has also stressed that the search for a solution does was a matter for the British Museum, not the government.

Athens has for decades demanded the return of the 75-metre (250 feet) long friezes, a campaign revived in the 1980s by Greek singer and actress Melina Mercouri when she was culture minister.

- 'Legally acquired' -

Greek authorities maintain that the sculptures were looted in 1802 by Lord Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.

But London claims that the sculptures were "legally acquired" by Elgin, and then sold to the British Museum.

A 1963 British law prevents the museum from giving away treasures.

In the UK, where according to a YouGov poll in 2023 a majority of Britons back restitution, opponents fear a domino effect, amid claims from several countries.

A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens is a temple built in the fifth century BC in homage to the goddess Athena.

The new Acropolis Museum, inaugurated in 2009, has reserved a space for the Parthenon friezes on the first floor of the building, where the four sides of the temple have been faithfully recreated to scale.

The missing friezes have been replaced by casts.

The Acropolis is the most visited archaeological site in Greece. Its popularity has soared in recent years to the extent that authorities have had to introduce reservation slots to contain summer crowds.

Founded in 1753, the British Museum collection of eight million objects includesng the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon friezes.

T.Khatib--SF-PST