STORY: Syrian heritage at risk as U.S. blockade threatens antiquities: official
SHOOTING TIME: May 17, 2024
DATELINE: May 19, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:12
LOCATION: Damascus
CATEGORY: POLITICS/CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of cultural heritage
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MOHAMMED NAZEER AWAD, Head of General Directorate for Antiquities and Museums in Syria
3. various of cultural heritage
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): MOHAMMED NAZEER AWAD, Head of General Directorate for Antiquities and Museums in Syria

STORYLINE:

Mohammed Nazeer Awad, head of the General Directorate for Antiquities and Museums in Syria, has shed light on the "catastrophic" impact of the U.S. economic blockade on the management of cultural heritage in Syria.

In an interview with Xinhua, Awad said that the economic blockade imposed by the United States had catastrophic consequences on various sectors in Syria, with a significant impact on the management of heritage in particular.

The blockade slowed down the restoration of historical buildings that were destroyed during the war, as many materials needed for restoration came from abroad.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MOHAMMED NAZEER AWAD, Head of General Directorate for Antiquities and Museums in Syria
"The economic blockade has harmed us more than the war because any historical or archaeological building left for a long period after being partially or completely destroyed without intervention afterward becomes more complicated and more costly to restore. The economic blockade has led to an increase in prices of many necessary materials due to shortages, an increase in labor costs, and an increase in the wages of experienced workers or their unavailability."

Awad also raised the alarm over the involvement of foreign entities in the encroachment on heritage sites, with a particular mention of the American presence in areas rich in antiquities.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): MOHAMMED NAZEER AWAD, Head of General Directorate for Antiquities and Museums in Syria
"We communicate with the government institutions representing Syria at the United Nations and in international forums and provide them with these documents about any military occupation and any military presence in the encroachment on heritage, looting, or being complicit in looting, which is contrary to all international norms and laws. The most destructive entity is the American presence in areas rich in antiquities, whether by its presence or by its support of other entities that may contribute to the destruction of Syrian antiquities."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Damascus.
(XHTV)