CPAC and Italy

The US Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) has announced that it will be meeting on Friday November 13, 2009 to review its interim MOU with Italy (2001, 2006) [CPAC Italy].

On November 13, the Committee will continue its interim review of the MOU with Italy and will have an open session from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon to receive oral public comment. An open session is not a statutory requirement, nor is the invitation for public oral or written comment. These steps are taken at the initiative of the Department of State. Persons wishing to attend either of these open sessions should notify the Cultural Heritage Center of the Department of State at (202) 632–6301 no later than November 4, 2009, 5 p.m. (EST) to arrange for admission. Seating is extremely limited. Requests for reasonable accommodation should also be made at that time; last minute requests will be difficult to fulfill.

Anyone wishing to make an oral presentation at either public session must request to be scheduled and must submit a written text of the oral comments by November 2, 2009, to allow time for distribution to Committee members prior to the meeting. Oral comments will be limited to allow time for questions from members of the Committee ... With respect to comments on the interim review of the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Italy Concerning the Imposition of Import Restrictions on Archaeological Material Representing the Pre-Classical, Classical and Imperial Roman Periods of Italy, concluded on January 19, 2001, and extended in 2006, oral comments must be limited to Article II of this MOU. The Committee also invites written comments and asks that they be submitted no later than November 2, 2009, to allow time for distribution to Committee members prior to the meeting. ...

The text of the MOU can be found here.

The demonstrable work of the Italian Carabinieri in their work to deter looting is the subject of an exhibition in Rome at the moment.

It will be interesting to see who will be seeking to speak. I suspect North American museums will be wanting to put the recent returns behind them and also be seeking to develop cultural links (including the loan of archaeological material from Italy).