Looted treasures back in Iraq, but don’t plan on seeing them

BAGHDAD — Gold earrings made for an Assyrian queen, a sacred 4,000-year-old statue and 540 other looted pieces of Iraq’s ancient history went on display in Iraq on Tuesday in what was billed as a triumph of justice and international cooperation.

“This is a very happy day — we are making progress in the very important field of returning Iraqi history to its rightful home,” said Iraq’s ambassador to Washington, Samir Sumaidaie, who said the objects had been found through a combination of Iraqi and American efforts. “Iraq cannot be summarized by 30 years of problems and wars — it can stand and it can reclaim its history.”

He noted, however, that a previous shipment of 632 stolen pieces recovered in the U.S. had gone missing after being delivered to Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki’s office last year.

The looting of the Iraq museum was one of the most controversial moments in the early part of the war. U.S. troops sent in to topple Saddam Hussein and secure the city had no orders to protect the museum or other cultural institutions. In the ensuing chaos, thousands of pieces of Iraq’s history were looted while other cultural institutions were burned.