MEDIA ADVISORY
Coalition Provisional Authority
http://www.iraqcoalition.org

Joint Statement Issued by
Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III and Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez
June 11, 2004

Recently, the Coalition dispatched a team of archaeologists and Iraqi
cultural antiquities experts to the city of Babylon (Babil) to assess
the current condition of the archaeological site located at Camp
Alpha, a Coalition base originally established to protect and defend
the ancient city of Babylon during military operations in 2003.

Based on the experts' findings, Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III and Lt.
Gen. Ricardo Sanchez have collectively taken the following action:
1) Issued a directive calling for all contractors working in or
around the vicinity of the Babylon site to halt any activities that
are or may be likely to cause archaeological damage, 2) Directed an
official investigation into the construction and expansion of Camp
Alpha to ensure that the Coalition is respecting the surrounding
archaeological site, 3) Instructed that planning begin for the
relocation of all Coalition troops in the immediate area of Babylon,
and 4) Consider remediation for any damage determined through the
investigation.

The Coalition is committed to continue working with the citizens of
Iraq and the Ministry of Culture to preserve Iraq's cultural
heritage. Any future construction, excavation, or expansion of
facilities in the vicinity of Babylon will be done in close
consultation with the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities. Iraq's
treasures are not only of great importance to Iraq, but to the entire
international community and civilization as a whole.

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