UNESCO chief asked U.S. not to damage Iraqi, Afghan cultural assets+

PARIS, Sept. 21 Kyodo -
U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Director General
Koichiro Matsuura said that he had asked Washington not to attack and damage
cultural assets in Afghanistan and Iraq before the United States launched
military operations in the countries.
Matsuura said in a recent interview with Kyodo News that he made the request in
letters to the U.S. Department of State that were sent before the launch of the
operations in Afghanistan in 2001 and in Iraq in 2003.
The letters included lists of cultural assets in the two nations, most of which
were due to be registered as World Heritage sites, he said.
Matsuura said he made the move as he remembered that the United States
refrained from attacking the ancient cities of Kyoto and Nara in Japan during
World War II.
The United States accepted the request, saying in a reply letter that it would
respect cultural heritage, historic buildings and other assets listed in the
letters and that it would urge its troops not to damage them, according to
Matsuura.
He said the request was observed in Afghanistan, but some cultural assets in
Iraq, including Iraq's National Museum which was not listed in his letter, have
been damaged.
He added that some other assets in Iraq, such as the ancient site of the
Mesopotamian city of Babylon, are being damaged now with the passage of tanks.
He said he did not disclose the request at the time the military operations
were launched because he was concerned that such information may encourage
enemies to barricade themselves in such cultural assets.
==Kyodo