I found this article quite thought-provoking. Apparently the ACCP (American Council for Cultural Antiquities), a coalition of art lawyers and antiquities dealers whose members include "collectors and lawyers with chequered histories in collecting valuable artefacts, including alleged exhibitions of Nazi loot," secured a meeting with the US Defense and State Department back in January. This group had been working since 2001 to ease legal restrictions on the removal of Iraqi artifacts from the country after a coalition victory.

"The ACCP's agenda is to encourage the collecting of antiquities through weakening the laws of archaeologically-rich nations and eliminating national ownership of antiquities to allow for easier export ... The ACCP has caused deep unease among archaeologists since its creation in 2001."

More information at this Sunday Herald article.

daylia