IRAQI-ANTIQUTIES-PROTECTION BILL ALERT from McGuire Gibson on the IraqCrisis list. If you're in the United States, please do send a letter in support of it.

Dear Colleagues:

Many of us have been working to gain the passage of a bill in Congress to ban the illegal trade in Iraqi antiquities and other cultural property. The time has come to show support in writing for senators and representatives to enact the "Emergency Protection for Iraqi Cultural Antiquities Act of 2004." The bill was included in the Senate version of the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act (H.R. 1047). H.R. 1047 has passed both the House and Senate, and is awaiting the appointment of conferees. This bill, although not the ideal one that we were backing all last year, will protect Iraqi cultural heritage by forbidding trade in Iraqi antiquities for a period of 5 years. The five-year provision, which was inserted into the bill at our urging, will give time for a new Iraqi government to ask for the enactment of a bilateral treaty with the U.S. to make the ban permanent.

At this point, the bill has only to go before a Senate/House conference to be adopted. As you can see in the sample letter I am appending, there is a time constraint here, and we must ask that the conference be held as soon as possible.

Please make personal changes in the sample letter, but if you have no time to do that, please do send the letter as is. It is especially important to write to anyone on the two committees who comes from your home state, or with whom you have a personal connection. Please note that the three names listed at the top of the list of committees (Grassley, Thomas, and Daschle) are the most important people to contact. They are the ones who can set the conference dates. If you have any personal contact with any of these men, or with anyone on the two committees, please mention that fact in your letter.

Please ask friends and colleagues, Deans and Presidents of universities to add their voices. These letters do have an effect, and they are taken into account.

Sincerely,

McGuire Gibson
Professor, Mesopotamian Archaeology
Oriental Institute
University of Chicago
and President, American Association for Research in Baghdad



SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear Senator/Representative _____________:

I am writing to express my strong support for the "Emergency Protection for Iraqi Cultural Antiquities Act of 2004." The bill was included in the Senate version of the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act (H.R. 1047). H.R. 1047 has passed both the House and Senate, and is awaiting the appointment of conferees.

Prompt passage of the "Emergency Protection for Iraqi Cultural Antiquities Act" is vital to ensure the protection of Iraqi's cultural objects, which have been looted from museums and archaeological sites throughout the country. The Senate provision would continue emergency import restrictions on Iraqi archaeological and artistic artifacts. By preventing the items from reaching markets in the United States, the bill would go a long way towards ending the illegal trade of Iraqi antiquities, and would discourage the looting of museums and historic sites.

The existing emergency restrictions expire in June 2004, when the transition to the new Iraqi government is schedule to occur. Given the rapidly approaching deadline, I urge you to go to conference on the miscellaneous tariff bill as soon possible, and to retain the Senate language protecting Iraqi antiquities in the final version of the bill.

Thank you for your consideration.


(signature)


The three most important addressees are:

The Honorable Charles Grassley (R-IA)
Chairman
Finance Committee
219 Dirksen
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Bill Thomas (R-CA)
Chairman
Ways & Means Committee
1102 Longworth
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Tom Daschle (D-SD)
509 Hart Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510


Members of the Senate Finance Committee:

Charles Grassley (R-IA), Chair Max Baucus (D-MT), Ranking Member
Orrin Hatch (R-UT) John Rockefeller (D-WV)
Don Nickles (R-OK) Tom Daschle (D-SD)
Trent Lott (R-MS) John Breaux (D-LA)
Olympia Snowe (R-ME) Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Jon Kyl (R-AZ) Bob Graham (D-FL)
Craig Thomas (R-WY) Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Rick Santorum (R-PA) John Kerry (D-MA)
Gordon Smith (R-OR) Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
Jim Bunning (R-KY)

Letters to U.S. Senators should be sent to the following address (street and room numbers are not necessary):

The Honorable ___(full name)_____________
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator __(last name)____:

Members of the House Ways & Means Committee:

Bill Thomas (R-CA), Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY), Ranking Member

Phil Crane (R-IL) Pete Stark (D-CA)
Clay Shaw (R-FL) Robert Matsui (D-CA)
Nancy Johnson (R-CT) Sander Levin (D-MI)
Amory Houghton (R-NY) Benjamin Cardin (D-MD)
Wally Herger (R-CA) Jim McDermott (D-WA)
Jim McCrery (R-LA) Jerry Kleczka (D-WI)
Dave Camp (R-MI) John Lewis (D-GA)
Jim Ramstad (R-MN) Richard Neal (D-MA)
Jim Nussle (R-IA) Michael McNulty (D-NY)
Sam Johnson (R-TX) William Jefferson (D-LA)
Jennifer Dunn (R-WA) John Tanner (D-TN)
Mac Collins (R-GA) Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
Rob Portman (R-OH) Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)
Philip English (R-PA) Earl Pomeroy (D-ND)
J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) Max Sandlin (D-TX)
Jerry Weller (R-IL) Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH)
Kenny Hulshof (R-MO)
Scott McInnis (R-CO)
Ron Lewis (R-KY)
Mark Foley (R-FL)
Kevin Brady (R-TX)
Paul Ryan (R-WI)
Eric Cantor (R-VA)

Letters to Members of the House of Representatives should be sent to the following address (street and room numbers are not necessary):

The Honorable __(full name)____________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Representative __(last name)_______:
--
McGuire Gibson
Professor of Mesopotamian Archaeology
Oriental Institute, University of Chicago

Please forward or repost this appeal as necessary.